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UNIVERSITY  OF  N  CAT  CHAPEL  Hja 


00022245857 


THE 

GAMMANS  POETRY 

COLLECTION 


In  Memory  of 

GEORGE  H.  GAMMANS,  II 

Class  of  1940 

First  Lieutenant  Array  Air  Corps 

Distinguished  Service  Cross 

Missing  in  Action  January  15,  1943 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF 
NORTH  CAROLINA  LIBRARY 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/ourtreasurechestOOgrif 


#ft 


]'¥}  |JL    —  Merry  Qin^Ima^  I 


c^^- 


\ 


OUR 


Treasure  Chest 


FOR 


IJRES   ^K©    B@X 


MRS.  WALTER  T.  GRIFFIN 


SOLD     BY     SUBSCRIPTION     ONLY 


NEW  YORK 

UNION  PUBLISHING  HOUSE 

1887 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1887,  by  the 

UNION  PUBLISHING  IIOUSE, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


Press  of  J.  W.  Weckes  &  Co.,  VS  Duanc  Street,  N.  Y. 


INTRODUCTION. 

S  CHILDREN  are  readily  attracted,  and  will  always 
listen  to  pretty  stories,  one  of  the  best  methods 
with  which  to  reach  their  minds  and  hearts  will  be 
found  in  illustrated  story  books.  The  more  simple, 
the  better.  They  will  accomplish  the  purpose  to  a 
most  desirable  extent  if  every  story,  every  picture  is  set  for 
the  moral   lesson. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  make  a  child  acquainted  with  evil 
that  he  might  be  led  to  choose  the  good.  It  is  important, 
however,  that  pure  sentiment  and  wholesome  truth  be  in- 
culcated. Fortify  the  mind  and  heart  with  the  defences  of 
virtue  and  the  world's  evil  will  have  by  far  a  smaller 
chance.  He  who  clearly  apprehends  this  will  not  ask  that 
the  writer  apologize  in  the  least  for  preparing  this  little 
'•  Treasure  Chest "    for  our  girls   and  boys. 

It  is  written  to  amuse,  though  the  object  of  training  a 
child   in   the   way  he   should  go   is   not  lost   sight   of. 

Many  times  a  parent  is  puzzled  by  the  anxious  inquiry, 
*  'please  Mamma  find  me  a  piece  to  recite."  Much  difficulty 
is  experienced  in  getting  something  suitable  for  Sabbath 
School   Anniversaries,    Christmas   festivals   and   such   occasions. 

The  last  few  pages  have  been  reserved  for  a  number  of 
carefully  selected  recitations,  and  the  writer  hopes  that  the 
whole  book  will  prove  both  healthful  and  hopeful  for  the 
little  ones.  It  is  sent  forth  on  its  mission  with  the  prayer 
that  our  children  be  guided  unto  better  things  of  the  King- 
dom  of   Heaven. 


CONTENTS. 


The  Christmas  Tree,     . 

Almosts,  ', 

A  Fearful  Estimate, 

The  Holly  Bush, 

The  Broken  Ale-Jug,     . 

Little    Make-Believe, 

A  Scene  from  Life, 

The  Grebe, 

Where  Convicts  Come  From, 

Nettie's  Class,    . 

The   Mistake, 

The  Drunkard  and  His  Dog, 

Lost  Cynthia, 

The    Dying  Soldier, 

The  Ark,        .... 

Papa's  Watch, 

The  Wise   Indian, 

Deceiving  Grandma, 

The  Rescue, 

Animals   of    Africa, 

Bo3r  Character, 

Selfish  Tom,       . 

Who  Made  All  That,     . 

The  Christian  Sailor  Boy, 

What  Little.  Hands  Can  Do, 

The  First  Fall  of  Snow,    . 

Politeness,      .... 

How  a  Kind  Act  Shines,  . 

The  Bird's  Nest,     . 

What  Next,        .         .         .         . 

Just  in  Time, 

Little  Mary,  or  a  Better  Way, 


PROSE. 

Page 

Page.- 

9 

The  Naughty  Goat, 

70 

10 

The  Best  Boy, 

73- 

11 

Mr.  Wayback's  Barber  Shop, 

74 

12 

Our  Country's  Flag, 

76 

14 

Waiting  for  the  Carriage,     . 

78 

16 

Jack's  Ride,        .... 

81 

18 

The  Intelligent  Dog.      . 

82 

22 

Up  for  Repairs,          .         .         , 

86 

24 

The  Old  Woman  who  Lived  in  a 

2G 

Shoe,    ..... 

90 

28 

The  Menagerie,      .... 

92 

31 

The  Eagles'  Companion, 

96 

32 

A  Word  Fitly  Spoken, 

98 

34 

Kept  In,      ..... 

100 

36 

The  Deserted  Child, 

102 

38 

LostMilly,          .... 

104 

41 

Little  Jack  and  His  Goat,     . 

107 

42 

Think  Twice,       .... 

108 

44 

Janet's  Text,         .... 

110 

46 

The  Mischievous  Mice, 

112 

49 

Working  Cheap,    .... 

114 

50 

Both  Sides,         .... 

115 

53 

The  Bear  and  the  Gun, 

116 

54 

How  Two  Little  Boys  were  Punished 

,120 

56 

The  Youthful  Florists, 

122 

58 

Kitty  and  Must, 

126 

60 

Friends — but  not  Ecpials,     . 

130 

61 

An  Evening  at  Home, 

132 

63 

An  After-School  Reverie, 

136 

65 

Willie  and  His   Pets, 

139 

66 

The  Firstlings, 

142 

68 

Puss  on  a  Bootless  Chase, 

145 

CONTENTS. 


Love  One  Another, 

Christmas,  , 

The  Golden  Rule, 

Friends  Old  raid  Now, 

What  Ailed  Those  Eggs?      . 

Why  They  Go  to  Church, 

A  Romance  Sadly  Dispelled, 

Farmer  John's  Advice, 

Safety  from  Temptation, 

The  Opinion  of  Mrs.  Nightingale. 

Be  Pleasant, 

The  Masterpiece, 

The  Little  Boy,       . 

The  Way  to  be  Happy,     . 

Have  Courage  to  Say  "No," 

"Wood  for  Winter  Fire, 

Introductory  Address,   . 

Before  Christmas, 

A  Lesson  in  a  Dream,   . 

Remember,  Boys, 

Two  Boys,      . 


POETRY. 


Page 

19 

20 

25 

30 

40 

45 

43 

52 

85 

S3 

94 

95 

99 

119 

128 

148 

150 

151 

155 

158 

100 


Page 
Thanksgiving,  .  .  .  .102 
Temperance  Address,        .         .  1G3 

The  Leaves  and  the  Wind,  .  .  104 
Time  Enough,  .         .         .  105 

The  Blue  and  the  Gray,  .  .  108 
Which  Loved  Best,  .         .  107 

Don't  Fret, 168 

Bad  Thoughts,  .         .         .  109' 

Answered  Prayers,  .  .  .170 
Wanted— A  Minister's  Wife,    .  171 

A  Child's  Conclusion,  .         .       175 

Young  Ladies  of  the  Present  Day,  170 
The  Water  Drinkers,  .  .  .177 
Misplaced  Confidence,       .         .  178 

At  Close  cf  Day,  .         .         .       181 

Poor,  Dear  Child,      .         .         .  182 

Dutchman's  Breeches,  .         ,       183 

Fairy  Folk,         .         .         .         .  184- 

The  Lonely  Grave  and  Effie,  .  186 
The  True  Story  of  Little  Boy  Blue,    189 


Frontispiece.  Page 

Holly  Busk  13 

Little  Make-Believe  17 

The  Grebe     23 

The  Mistake 29 

LobI  Cynthia 83 

Papa's  Watch  .39 

Deceiving  Grandma    ...    •    43 
Animals  of  Africa    ...      .47 

Selfish  Tom 51 

Christian  Sailor  Boy 55 

Firnt  Fall  of  Snow 59 

Just  in  Time 07 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Pag  e 

The  Naughty  Goat 71 

Mr.  Way  back's  Barber  Shop  75 

Waiting  tor  the  Carriage...  79 

The  Inteligent  Dog 83 

Up  for  Repairs      87 

The  Old  Woman  who  Lived 

in  a  Shoe   01 

The  Menagerie 93 

The  Eagles' Companion..   ..  97 

Kept  in       101 

Deserted  child 103 

LostMil'y    1C5 


Page1 

Think  Twice 109 

Janet's  Text Ill 

Mischievous  M  ice 113 

The  Bear  and  Gun lir 

The  Boys  and  the  Bees  .....  121 

The  Youthful  Florists 123 

Fiicnds — but  not  Equals    ..  131 

An  Evening  at  llomc     133 

.\n  After-School  Kevcrio 137 

Willie  and  his  Pets 14* 

The  Firstlings 143 

A  Bootless  Chase 14G 


TilE    CHRISTMAS   TREE. 


@ur  IJIreasure  (^hest. 


^^|X  WAS  the  night  before  Christmas,"  when,  after  mamma 
['^1iRl\     had  tucked  her  little  ones  snugly   in  bed,   that  papa 

'-"    '^NI»S^   Ill 

arfeS^l     went   out  to   the    store    and    brought    home   a   large 

J® 

^    Christmas    tree.       This    was    more    than    the    little    ones 
¥$ 

expected.  How  happy  they  were  as  they  closed  their  eyes  to 
sleep  that  night,  thinking  of  the  morrow  when  each  one  would 
do  his  and  her  best  to  be  up  first  in  the  morning  and  wish 
each  other  a  "Merry  Christmas."  Of  the  little  group  in  the 
picture,  who  do  you  think  was  the  first  to  open  their  eyes. 
Well,  it  was  Georgie,  the  little  fellow  putting  the  flag  in  the 
top  of  the  tree.  They  did  not  know  that  the  tree  was  all 
ready  filled  with  toys  down  stairs,  but  each  one  rushed  to 
their  stockings  to  see  if  Santa  Claus  had  forgotten  them. 
Xot  a  thing  in  them !  Can  you  imagine  their  disappointment 
as  they  looked   in   their    stockings    and    found    them  empty? 


10  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

Georgie  was  not  old  enough  to  realize  that  Santa  Clans  had 
passed  them  by,  but  the  others  were.  They  didn't  begin  to 
cry,  as  some  children  would  have  done,  but  quietly  thought 
he  might  come  later.  Passing  down  stairs  to  breakfast,  Katie 
stubbed  her  toe,  and  falling  against  the  parlor  door,  forced 
it  open,  and  then  and  there  the  children  spied  the  Christmas 
tree,  full  of  beautiful  presents.  There  was  a  horse  for  Georgie, 
a  rabbit  for  Katie,  a  dollie  for  Susie,  and  something  for  each 
one.  There  were  so  many  presents,  the  tree  could  not  hold 
them.  What  a  happy  band  of  children  as  they  gathered 
round  the  tree  after  breakfast  and  received  their  gifts,  not 
forgetting  to   thank    their    Heavenly  Father  for  his  goodness. 


0: 


"JQm@©t>@." 


KMOSTS  stand  on  the  brink  of  every  great  tem- 
poral advantage  which  the  world  has  ever  known. 
There    are    those    who    have    almost    conquered    an 


-v    evil      habit,    yet      have    relapsed,    and     have     become 


wholly  lost  under  its  influence.  There  have  been  those  who 
have  been  almost  in  time,  yet  have  been,  nevertheless,  wholly 
left  behind.  And  there  have  been  those  who  have  been  almost 
saved,  but  who  have   turned  back  and  become   wholly  lost. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  11 

JL    Etearful  Estimate. 

>Bf^<T  is  estimated  that  in  the  United  States  and  Terri- 
/t%^lv.:cj  tories,  130,000  places  are  licensed  to  sell  spirituous 
"'■-  ^^%  liquors,  and  300,000   persons    are    employed    in    these 

jpjT  *■   grog-shops.      If  we   add  to   these    the  number    employed 

f 

in    distilleries     and    wholesale    liquor    shops,    we    have  about 

670,000,  while  there  are  but  150,000  ministers  and  school- 
teachers. While  one  class  is  laboring  to  advance  the  country 
in  moral  and  spiritual  life,  the  other  plies  its  work  of 
death. 

The  clergymen  cost  the  United  States  $12,000,000  annually, 
the  criminals  $40,000,000,  the  lawyers  880,000,000,  intoxicating 
drinks  to  satisfy  and  increase  depraved  appetites,  $700,000,- 
000.  The  liquor  traffic  annually  sends  200,000  children  to  a 
state  worse  than  orphanage,  and  brings  woe,  disease,  misery, 
crime,  and  premature  death  all  over  the  land.  The  amount 
of  taxes  the  liquor  traffic  thus  wrenches  from  honest  and 
industrious  citizens   it   would  be  hard   to   compute. 

-^f-  c^-s;  £55— SL 


i\l 


^PIIRICE   happy    he,   whose   path    is    that  of   the  just,  which, 
beaming  brighter    and    brighter   day    by    day,    is    lost    at 
length   in  the   noontide   splendors  of    the  Heavenly    Glory! 


12  OUU    TREASURE    CHEST. 


ke   M©ll;f  BiiLsk. 


;1IAT  a  bright,  happy  little  face  is  this.  She  looks 
as  if  she  had  been  gathering  some  holly  for  the 
holidays,  and  expects  to  have  a  jolly  time  with 
(v^p  it.  How  many  happy  children  there  are  when  Christ- 
mas draws  near.  There  are  Christmas  trees  to  trim,  holly 
wreaths  to  make,  and  every  one's  hands  are  busy  about  that 
time. 

What  fun  it  is  to  jump  in  a  sleigh  and  take  a  ride 
to  the  woods,  and  gather  the  holly.  There  are  sharp  points 
on  the  leaves  and  they  prick  our  fingers,  but  we  don't  care 
for  that.  The  good  time  we  have  gathering  it,  and  the  fun 
going  after  it,  makes  it  all  right,  and  we  think  nothing  of 
it.  There  are  several  kinds  of  holly.  The  American  holly 
is  found  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  it  being  very  abundant  in 
Virginia  and  the  States  south  of  it.  It  is  used  in  some 
places  as  an  ornamental  hedge  plant,  and  the  bright  scarlet 
berries  it  bears,  makes  it  a  favorite  plant  for  Christmas  deco- 
rations. There  are  many  specimens  of  holly  in  England,  and 
they  are  used  there  as  well  as  here  in  decorating  churches. 
A  great  deal  of  the  American  holly  is  sold  in  New  York 
market  for  the  same  use,  it  being  brought  from  Long  Island 
and   Southern   Jersey. 


THE    HOLLY    LUSH. 


14  OUE    TREASURE    CHEST. 

^ke  ]Bi?©keia  Ale-£Tia.g. 

M-'^IP^  HE  old   farmer    sat    down    to    his    supper    tired    and 
[^r<1IB\\     hungry.      His   joint   of  meat  was  before  him,  which 
^U     would    relish    all  the    better,    he    thought,    with    a 
j&    drink  of  ale  to  wash  it  down. 

m 

' '  Go,  my  boy, ' '  he  said,  ' '  and  fetch  me  home  a  jug  of 
ale   from   Dick's." 

Thomas  went.  The  shop  was  full  of  idle  fellows,  and 
among  them  his  older  brother,  who  lived  more  in  the  beer- 
shops  than  he  lived  at  home  ;  more  on  beer  than  on  bread  ; 
more  on  others  than  on  himself ;  so  that  all  he  was  good 
for  was  good-for-nothing,  which  is  a  sorry  sort  of  excellence. 
Drink,  strong  drink,  made  him  quarrelsome,  and  the  sight 
of  Thomas  with  his  mug  full  of  foaming  ale,  as  it  soon  was, 
quickly   excited  him. 

"Give  me  a  swallow  !"  he  cried  roughly. 

"No,  you  don't,"  said  Thomas ;  "this  is  father's;"  and 
he  was  hastening  out  of  the  door,  when  Jed  caught  him  by 
the  arm ;  a  tussle  followed,  ending  not  only  in  spilling  the 
ale,  but  in  spilling  the  jug  also,  which  fell  on  the  floor  and 
cracked  its  bottom  out.  Thomas  caught  it  up  and  hurried 
home  with  the  story  to  his  father.  "Bottom's  out,  is  it?" 
said    the    old    man,    after  a    moment's    thinking,   "well,"   he 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  15 

said,  bringing  down  his  hard  fist  with  a  bang  upon  the 
table,  as  if  it  meant  something — "well,  then,  that's  the  last 
ale-jug  for  me.      Put  it  down." 

"Yes,  father,  but  it  will  not  hold  anything." 
"Thomas,  that  makes  it  the  very  best  ale-jug  for  me,  I 
say.  If  it  had  been  the  kind  I  had  always  used,  your 
brother  might  never  have  been  the  poor  creature  he  now  is." 
That  is  so.  And  if  this  is  the  best  ale-jug,  it  is  the 
best  whisky-jug ;  and  if  it  is  the  right  pattern  for  a  whisky- 
jug,  is  it  not  the  best  pattern  for  a  gin-bottle,  and  a  brandy- 
bottle,  and  a  wine-bottle  1  Perhaps  it  is  not  exactly  in 
style ;  but  why  not  let  reason  and  conscience  and  health  and 
industry  and  Scripture  sometimes  set  the  fashion  I  I  think 
they  could  be  trusted,  and  in  this  matter  we  should,  I  doubt 
not,  find  them   on  the   side   of   the   old  farmer's  jug. 

T  ET    our    destined    port    be    the    home    of    the    blessed,    the 
city    which    hath    foundations,    whose  builder   and    maker 
is   frod. 


Y  OOK  around  over  your  community,    and  see  who   they  are 

that     are    most     prospered     in      their     temporal    interests, 

happiest  in   their  lives,  and  most  respected  in  their  characters. 


16  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

Mttle  Make-Believe. 


MK^'jELLY  is  having  a  little  frolic,  all  to  her  own  self., 
\  with  grandma's  cap  and  spectacles.  That  is,  she 
thinks  it  is  all  to  herself,  but  she  does  not  see, 
as  I  do,  that  grandma  is  looking  on,  and  is  very 
much  amused.  The  picture  does  not  show  grandma, 
but  she  is  there,  just  the  same.  Little  girls  like  Nelly  are 
very  fond  of  dressing  up,  and  making  believe  they  are  other 
folks.  One  such  little  girl  wrote  to  me  the  other  day,  how 
she  and  a  playmate,  on  a  rainy  afternoon,  went  up  into  "Aunt 
Chick's  garret,"  and  fixed  up  in  long  dresses,  and  then  went 
down  stairs,  and  pretended  they  were  travellers,  who  wanted 
something  to  eat.  Auntie  gave  them  bananas,  huckleberry 
pie,  cheese,  fresh  bread,  and  gingerbread,  which  they  carried 
into  the  garret  and  feasted  on.  When  supper  time  came, 
they   were  not  hungry. 

But  grandma  is  watching  Nelly,  and  comes  softly  behind 
her,  and  puts  her  arms  around  her,  and  kisses  her,  saying, 
i4I  did  just  so  when  I  was  a  little  girl.  Children  to-day  are 
very  much  like  children  were  fifty  or  more  years  ago ;  but 
they  will  all  grow  old,  if  they  live.  May  God  bless  you,  my 
darling,  and  keep  you  pure  and  sweet  as  you  are  now ;  then, 
if  He  shall  grant  you  old  age,  it  will  be  peaceful  and  happy." 


LITTLE     MA  KIM?  ELI  EVE. 


18 


X)UR   TREASURE    CHEST. 


A  S®eme  fp®m  Mfe. 

YOUNG     man    entered    the  bar-room    of    a    village 
tavern     and    called    for    a     drink.        "No,"      said 
the  landlord,    "you  have   had    the   delirium-tremens 
once,    and     I    cannot     sell    you     any      more."        He 
then      stepped      aside      to     make     room      for     a     couple     of 
young    men    who    had  just   entered,   and   the  landlord    waited 
-on   them    very    politely.     The   other   had   stood   by  silent  and 
sullen,  and   when  they  had  finished  he  walked  up  to  the  land- 
lord and  addressed  him.     "Six  years  ago,  at  their  age,  I  stood 
where    those    young    men    are    now.      I    was   a  man   with  fair 
prospects.     Now,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight,  I  am  a  wreck,  body 
and  mind.     You  led  me  to   drink.    In   this   room  I  formed  the 
habit  that  has  been  my  ruin.    Now,  sell  me  a  few  glasses  more 
iind  your  work  will  be  done.     I  shall  soon   be  out  of  the  way ; 
there  is  no  hope  for  me.     But  they  can  be   saved.     Do  not  sell 
it  to  them.      Sell  to  me,   and  let  me  die,  and  the  world  be  rid 
of  me;    but  for  heaven's  sake   sell   no  more  to  them!"      The 
landlord  listened,    pale   and  trembling.      Setting  down  his  de- 
i  canter  he   exclaimed,    ' '  God  help  me !    this    is    the    last  drop 
_I  will   ever  sell   to   any   one !"    and  he  kept   his   word. 


OUE    TEEASUEE    CHEST. 


19 


E<®nre  ©ne  Jlmetkep. 


HILDREN,    do   you    love   each   other? 
J^iry^Li         Are   you   always   kind   and   true  2 
(J^ «?      Do  you   always   do   to   others 

As   you'd  have  them   do   to   you? 


Are   you   gentle   to   each   other? 

Are   you   careful  day  by   day 
Not  to   give   offence  by  actions 

Or  by   anything  you   say  ? 

Little   children,    love    each   other ; 

Never    give   another  pain ; 
If  your  brother  speak   in   anger, 
Answer  not  in   wrath  as-ain. 


Be   not   selfish  to   each   other ; 

Never    spoil    another1  s    rest ; 
Strive   to  make   another  happy, 

And   you   will   yourselves  be  blest. 


20 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


©kpistmas. 


AMMA,  what  is   Christmas  ? ' '      How    can   I  say  ? 
I  will  try  to   answer  you    "true  as   true." 
It  is  just   the   lovliest,    lovely  day, 

That  is  steeped  in  rose-color  all  the  way  through  I 
When   miniature   toy-shops   in   stockings  are  found, 
That  are  left  in   the   chambers    without    a  sound ; 
And   papa  gives  gifts   with   a   tender  cheer ; 
And  brother  hurrahs  ' '  for  the   top   of   the   year ; ' ' 
And   sister  looks   on  with  her  wistful   eyes, 
With   a   soft,    sweet  smile  at   every   surprise ; 
And   Christmas   means   this : 
A  little   child's  bliss, 
And  the  love   of   the   dear   Christ  felt  like  a  kiss. 


And   a  piled-up  glory   is   hard  to   express  ; 

And    ' '  What  is   Christmas  "i ' '    is   wonder  for  all 
It  is   when  the   earth  puts   on   holiday   dress, 

Made   spotlessly  fair  with   snow-flakes   that  fall  v 
When  hearts  are    lavish  with  treasures   of  love, 
And  the  pale,    pure  stars   shine  brighter  above ; 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  21 

And  the   dancing  firelight   seems  to  play 

In  the  most  mysterious,   haunting  way  ; 

And  the  house-fairies   wander  from  sweet  to    sweet, 

With   an  unexplored  kingdom  laid   at   their   feet. 

And   Christmas   means    this : 

A  little   child's  bliss, 
And  the   love   of   the  dear   Christ   felt  like   a  kiss. 

And   still   "what  is   Christmas?"     Darling,  come  here. 

It   is  meant  for  the  birthday,    "true  as  true," 
Of  a  beautiful   child   that   was  born  in   Judea, 

That  His  mother  loved,    as   /  love   you ; 
That  grew   up   to   teach  you   how  you   should   seek 
To  be  in   your  spirit    "lowly  and  meek. 
And   onward,    higher  and  higher  to  go," 
Till   you   changed  to   an   angel   whiter  than   snow ; 
And   offered  freely   (that  all  might  take) 
The  gift  of  Himself  for  the  whole  world's  sake! 
And   Christmas   means  this : 
A  little   child's  bliss, 
And   the   love   of   the  dear   Christ  felt  like   a  kiss. 

— Bryant. 


22  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

OW     many   little    boys    and   girls    have    ever   seen   a. 

Grebe  1     I     do    not    think     there    are    very  many   in 
ZSfi  this   country,   although  they  are  found  in  most  parts 

of  the  world.  They  have  a  long  neck  and  lobed 
Jp  feet,  and  in  our  illustration,  resemble  a  young  turkey. 
They  build  their  nest  on  the  water,  of  some  strong 
material,  and  on  account  of  the  nest  not  being  waterproof  the 
eggs  are  often  wet.  They  are  very  careful  of  their  home,  and 
when  the  mother  bird  leaves  her  nest  she  is  careful  to  cover 
it  with  a  material  she  gathers  on  the  water,  so  that  the  nest 
would  appear  to  any  one  as  a  bunch  of  weeds,  and  therefore 
would  not  be  disturbed.  If  she  is  on  her  nest,  and  thinks 
there  is  some  danger  near,  it  is  said  she  will  put  one  foot 
out  of  the  nest  into  the  water  and  paddle  along  till  she  comes, 
to  a  place  of  safety.  It  must  be  fine  sport  to  watch  them 
teach  the  little  ones  how  to  swim.  When  their  young  become 
tired  of  swimming,  the  Grebe  will  sink  her  body  low  in  the 
water,  and  in  coming  to  the  surface  the  little  ones  jump 
on  her  back,  and  in  this  way  take  a  rest.  They  have  a 
beautiful  plumage,  and  a  great  many  of  them  are  killed  to 
furnish  fine  feathers  for  ladies.  There  is  another  kind  of  Grebe 
called  the  Dabchick,  and  it  closely  resembles  the  crested  Grebe, 
only  it  builds  two  nests  instead  of  one,  the  mother  bird  sitting 
in  one,  while  the  other,  in  which  the  eggs  are  to  be  laid,  is 
building. 


THE    GREBE. 


24  OUE    TREASURE    CHEST. 


1 


r?.-.>' 


SHORT    time     since,    a     young  man,    condemned    to 
die    for    murder,    lay   in  a    prison-cell     awaiting  the 

t^\g)     day   of   execution.      A    kind    lady,    who    had    heard 
^X    of     his     condition,     visited     him     several      times,    and 
J 
sought  to  lead  him  to  penitence    and  faith    in    Jesus   as    his 

only  hope.  On  one  occasion  the  lady  was  accompanied  by 
her  little  son,  who  spoke  kindly  to  the  poor  prisoner,  and 
offered  him  some  fruit.  The  man  seemed  much  affected  by 
the  grace  and  gentleness  of  the  child,  and  drawing  him 
towards  him,  said,  as  the  tears  ran  freely  down  his  cheeks : 
"My  dear  child,  let  me  tell  you  what  brought  me  here. 
It  was  disobeying  my  parents,  then  breaking  God's  holy  day, 
drinking  and  gambling,  and  at  last  murder,  that  grew  out  of 
the  other  two.  Never  forget  this,  if  you  would  not  be  where 
I  now  am,  and  tell  all  your  play-fellows  to  take  warning  by 
my  sad  fate.  Always  obey  your  parents,  never  drink  a  drop 
of  anything  that  can  intoxicate,  keep  holy  the  Sabbath-day, 
and  turn,  as  from  the  Evil  One  himself,  from  any  who 
would  persuade  you  to  enter  a  gambling-house  or  engage  in 
a  game  of  chance.  These  are  the  things  that  till  the 
prisons  of  earth,  and  crowd   the  gates  of  hell  with   victims." 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


25 


^ke  (§l©Meia  Hiale, 


>^im* 


yEAL   with   another  as   you'd  have 
Another  deal  with  you: 
What  you're  unwilling  to  receive, 
Be   sure  you   never  do. 

Be    you  to   others  kind   and  true, 
As   you'  d  have   others  be  to   you ; 
And   neither   do   nor  say   to   men 
Wliate'er  you  would  not  take  again. 


'7T  X    anxious    Sunday-school    teacher,    whose    heart    yearned 

over  a  thoughtless   scholar,   said    to    her,    as    they    were 

about   to    separate    for    the   summer,     "Will   you   not   promise 

me    to     keep   up  the  regular   study   of  the  lessons,  and  special 

seasons   of  prayer  V ' 

"Ah,  indeed,  I  cannot  promise  that,"  she  said,  in  a  tone  of 
surprise;     "I   am  going   to   Newport." 

Another  little  girl,  in  her  last  prayer  at  home  before  going 
on  her  vacation  journey,  said,  "And  now  good-by,  religion,  I 
am  going  to  Saratoga."  Do  you  leave  your  religion  at  home, 
and  pursue  pleasure  with  the  eagerness  of  a  worldling? 


26 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


Nettie's   ©lag®. 


OW  HAPPY  a  teacher  must  be  if  she  has  a  band 
of  obedient  children  around  her.  What  pleasant 
■^fo&*  Work  it  must  be  to  teach  such  children.  Some  child- 
's} ren  seem  to  take  delight  in  doing  all  they  can  to- 
provoke     and     discourage     their    teacher,     and     at    the    same* 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  27 

time  lose  all  the  affection  the  teacher  could  give  them 
if  they  were  good  and  tried   to   do   right.      But  this  was  not 

the  the  case  with  Nettie  McM 's   class.      Every  Sunday  she 

was  at  her  place  to  welcome  them  as  they  came  to  her.  She 
always  greeted  them  with  a  smile  and  they  always  gave  her 
some  token  of  affection.  She  had  taught  her  class  a  long 
time  and  the  children  seemed  to  love  her  dearly,  and  as  she 
would  tell  them  "the  old,  old  story,"  they  would  listen  and 
eagerly  wish  her  to  tell  them  more.  When  they  left  her  on 
Sunday  they  did  not  forget  the  lesson  she  had  taught  them. 
She  was  anxious  they  should  walk  in  the  right  path,  doing 
good  wherever  they  could.  They  loved  to  sing  about  Jesus, 
and   their  favorite   hymn  was — 

"  Follow,    follow,    I   would   follow  Jesus — 

Anywhere,    everywhere,    I   would   follow   on. 
Follow,    follow,    I   would   follow   Jesus, 
Everywhere   He   leads   me,    I   would   follow   on." 

With   Christ  for  their   Captain,  the  Bible   for  their  guide, 
they   knew   they  could   not  go   astray. 

^ — >-f*7 


i — gJ     sj      »■  v  ■*  i  ~*      l—   (S — 3 

TN    closing  the    eyes    for    nightly    rest,    it    is    good    to    say, 
"lie  giveth    his    beloved   sleep ;"    and    in    opening    them, 
when    night    is    past,    to    say,     "When    I   awake    I    am    still 
with   thee." 


28  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


^ke  JVlistake. 


,^OOR  LITTLE   DAN   has  to  stay  in  at  recess.     He  did 

Mi 

J^&3     not  get  his    example    right,    and    the    teacher  said, 

r%£^>  ' '  All  who  did  not  have  their  examples  correct 
will  have  to  stay  in  at  recess."  Daniel  thought 
his  was  right,  sure,  but  when  the  teacher  examined  it  she 
said,  "  You  have  made  a  mistake,  and  will  have  to  stay  in 
at  recess  to  find  it  out."  Can  you  see  where  the  mistake  is? 
He  is  scratching  his  head  and  looking  very  hard.  He  hears 
the  boys  outside  playing  tag,  and  he  wishes  he  was  among 
them,  but  the  mistake  must  be  corrected  before  he  goes.  He 
has  learned  the  multiplication  table  by  heart,  and  yet  there 
is  one  figure  he  has  set  down  wrong.  That  one  figure  is 
enough  to  make  the  whole  example  incorrect,  and  poor  Daniel 
has  to  stay  in  while  the  other  boys  are  enjoying  themselves. 
I  hope  he  will  get  it  right  before  the  hour  closes.  These  little 
mistakes  cause  a  vast  amount  of  trouble  in  the  world.  A 
chemist  put  up  a  wrong  drug  for  two  sick  patients  and  both 
died  in  a  few  hours.  A  book-keeper  put  down  one  wrong 
figure  and  it  made  a  man  a  bankrupt.  One  little  mistake 
made  in  laying  the  foundation  of  a  building  caused  the  whole 
structure  to  be  weak  and  finally  fall.  A  boy  or  girl  may 
think  it  is  nothing  to  be  a  little  in   the   wrong  now  and  then, 


THE    MISTAKE. 


30 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


to  say  what  is  not  exactly  true,  to  do  what  they  know  is 
not  right,  but  it  is  a  mistake  that  will  bring  its  punishment 
just  as  Daniel's  mistake  did.  Once  a  little  boy  was  visiting 
a  silk  mill ;  they  were  just  weaving  an  elegant  roll  of  silk  ; 
by  mistake  he  let  a  pin  fall  on  that  roll.  It  was  a  little 
thing,  but  when  it  was  unrolled,  every  yard  had  been  cut  by 
that  pin,  and  the  whole  roll  ruined.  Many  a  man  has  been 
ruined  by  a  mistake  made  in  childhood.  Correct  your  mis- 
takes now,  while   you   are  young. 


ITmeTid^  @M  aiacl  Xew, 


AKE  new  friends  but  keep   the   old; 
Those   are   silver,  these   are   gold; 
New-made  friendships,    like   new  wine 
Age   will  mellow  and  refine. 
Friendships  that  have   stood  the  test — 
Time   and   change — are   surely  best. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  31 

^ke  ©iFumkapd  and  Mis  ©©g. 

^/r-xrJ  CROWD  was  collected  near  a  pile  of  stones  in 
Central  Park,  Xew  York,  evidently  very  intent 
upon  some  object  that  had  brought  together  quite 
.g^^L  a  number  of.  policemen.  On  drawing  near  you  would 
have  seen  nothing  remarkable — only  a  drunken  man,  utterly 
insensible,  lying  upon  a  pallet  of  blasted  rocks  and  stones. 
But  for  all  there  were  so  many  officers  on  hand,  they  could 
not  take  the  man  away.  He  had  a  friend  of  whom  he  was 
wholly  unworthy — a  friend  who  stood  by  him  like  a  brother, 
notwithstanding  his  degradation.  A  noble  Newfoundland  dog 
stood  over  him,  looking  down  into  his  face,  and  would 
suffer  no  one  to  approach.  He  did  not  like  the  looks  of 
the  policemen,  and  they  did  not  like  his  looks.  Twenty 
feet  was  the  regular  distance  he  had  settled  upon,  and  it 
was  at  his  risk  that  any  one  came  nearer.  They  brought 
several  pails  of  cold  water  and  threw  it  over  the  dog,  hoping 
to  drive  him  away  ;  but  he  only  drew  closer  to  his  unworthy 
companion.  ''We  can't  take  the  man  unless  we  shoot 
the  dog,"  said  one,  "and  he's  to  noble  an  animal  to 
kill."  "Which  is  the  brute?"  asked  a  passer-by,  and  very 
appropriately,  too. 


32  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


t)B.ia. 


N  tlie  large   city  of   New  York   lived   Cynthia  G . 

fefjf 

Sjw     She   was  the   only  child  of  a  poor  woman,  who  was 

l£ 

^  obliged  every  day  to  earn  her  own  living.  She 
was  very  careful  of  Cynthia,  and  when  she  would  leave 
her  in  the  morning  to  go  to  her  day's  work,  her  last  words 
were,  "Don't  go  too  far  from  home."  Cynthia  tried  to  be 
a  good  girl  to  her  mamma,  and  she  knew  too  well  that  her 
mamma  had  to  work  hard  to  keep  a  little  home  for  her,  for 
her  papa  was  dead  and  they  were  left  without  a  penny.     One 

day  Mrs.   G returned   to    her    home    and   expected  to  find 

her  little  girl  waiting  for  her,  but  to  her  surprise  she  was 
not  there;  fearing  something  had  happened  to  her,  she  started 
out  to  search.  Poor  little  girl,  no  one  could  tell  how  she  felt 
as  night  came  on,  and  no  loving  mamma  to  kiss  her  good- 
night, no  knee  to  kneel  beside  and  say  her  little  prayer.  But 
do  you  know  God  always  hears  prayers  if  we  pray  with  a 
sincere  heart?  God  always  takes  care  of  his  little  ones,  but 
Cynthia  felt  sad  and  timid  as  night  came  on,  and  she  crept 
in  some  dark  out-of-the-way  place  and  prayed  that  God  would 
take  care  of  her.  The  next  day  she  stood  on  the  corner  of 
some  street  crying  bitterly,  when    Ettie   and   Maggie    came   up 


LOST    CYNTHIA. 


34 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


to  lier  and  asked  her  what  the  trouble  was.  Not  hesitating 
to  tell  them,  they  took  her  by  the  hand  and  led  her  safely 
to  her  home.  How  happy  the  mother  and  child  were  when 
they  met ;  but  Cynthia  felt  badly  to  think  she  had  disobeyed 
her  mamma.  How  careful  little  ones  should  be  not  to  stray 
too  far  from  their  earthly  home.  God  has  prepared  a  heav- 
enly home  for  us,  and  if  we  obey  His  word  we  shall  never 
stray  from  it. 


tUT  me  down,"    said  a  wounded  soldier  in  the    Crimea 
to    his    comrades,     who    were    carrying    him;     "put 
^M§)     me   down ;    do    not    take    the    trouble    to    carry    me 
any  farther;    I  am  dying." 
They  put  him   down  and  returned  to  the    field.       A    few 
minutes   after,    an   officer  saw  the  man   weltering  in   his  blood, 
and   said  to   him,    "Can   I   do   anything  for  you?" 
"Nothing,    thank   you." 

"Shall   I  get  you   a  little   water?"    said   the  kind-hearted 
i  officer. 

"No,    thank   you,    I  am   dying." 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  35 

*'Is  there  nothing  I  can  do  for  yon  %  Shall  I  write  to 
yonr  friends  \ ' ' 

"I  have  no  friends  that  you  can  write  to.  Bnt  there 
is  one  thing  for  which  I  would  be  much  obliged.  In  my 
knapsack  you  will  find  a  Testament ;  will  you  open  it  at 
the  fourteenth  chapter  of  John,  and  near  the  end  of  the 
chapter  you  will  find  a  verse  that  begins  with  'peace.'  Will 
you  read  it?" 

The  officer  did   so,    and  read  the  words  : 

''Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my  peace  I  give  unto  yon; 
not  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you.  Let  not  yonr 
lieart  be  troubled,   neither  let  it  be  afraid." 

"Thank  you,  sir,"  said  the  dying  man.  "I  have  that 
peace  ;  I  am  going  to  that  Saviour.  God  is  with  me ;  I  want 
no  more." 

These  were  his  last  words,  and  his  spirit  ascended  to  be 
with  Ilim  he  loved. 


+$&z= 


7T    LITTLE  child,  seven  years  old,  one  day  said  to  her  mo- 
ther,  "Mother,  I  have  learned   to  be   happy,  and  I  shall 
always   be   happy."     "My   dear,"  said  her  mother,    "how  can 
this    be    done?"      She    said,    "It    is    by   not    caring  anything 
about  myself,  but  trying   to  make   everybody  else  happy." 


36 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


|E  have  here  a  picture  of  the  Dove  returning  to  the 
Ark.     The    Ark    was    a    sort    of    boat    that    God 
commanded  Noah  to  build.      Can  you  tell  me  why 
$$§*    He   told    him    to    make    it?      Well,    God    saw    that   the 
people  were  very  wicked,  and  it  grieved  Him  greatly,  so 
He  told  Noah  He  would   destroy  man,  whom   He  had  created, 


OUE    TEEASTTEE    CHEST.  37 

and  every  living  thing  with  him.  Now  "Noah  was  a  just 
man,  and  perfect  in  his  generations,  and  Noah  walked  with 
God,"  so  he  did  as  God  commanded,  and  made  an  Ark  of 
gopher  wood.  It  was  three  hundred  cubits  long,  fifty  cubits 
wide,  and  thirty  cubits  high.  It  had  one  window  and  a 
door,  "with  lower,  second  and  third  stories."  When  it  was 
completed  God  told  Noah  that  he,  his  wife,  his  sons  and 
their  wives  should  enter  the  Ark,  and  take  with  them  living 
creatures.  So  after  Noah  and  his  family  entered,  it  began  to 
rain.  It  rained  so  much  for  forty  days  and  forty  nights  that 
the  mountains  were  covered  with  water  and  all  that  was  on 
the  earth  was  destroyed,  both  man  and  beast,  and  everything 
that  had  life.  God  did  not  forget  Noah  and  his  family,  and 
after  the  waters  had  abated,  the  Ark  rested  safely  on  Mt. 
Ararat.  When  Noah  thought  the  earth  was  dry,  he  sent  a 
raven  out,  but  it  did  not  return  to  him.  Then  he  sent  a  dove 
and  it  came  back  with  an  olive  leaf.  Then  Noah  waited  seven 
days  more,  and  sent  the  dove  out  again,  but  it  did  not  return 
to  him ;  then  Noah  knew  the  earth  was  dry.  If  Noah  and  his 
family  had  not  been  good,  God  would  not  have  chosen  them 
to  be  in  Ili<'  Ark.  Let  us  please  God  in  everything,  and  some 
day   we   shall   be  one  of  his  chosen  ones. 


38 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


Papa's  "Watek. 


LONG  time  ago  there  lived  a  little  boy  whose 
name  was  Walter.  His  papa  was  very  fond  of 
him  and  when  he  would  return  home  from  his 
day's  work,  he  would  take  little  Walter  on  his 
lap  and  show  him  his  watch.  This  always  delighted  the 
little  fellow,  and  as  he  was  his  father's  pet,  he  was  allowed 
to  take  the  watch  in  his  own  hands.  Now  Walter  was  only 
three  years  old,  but  was  very  full  of  mischief,  and  was  al- 
ways hunting  up  something  new  to  play  with.  One  day  his 
mamma  went  out  and  left  him  alone  for  a  few  moments  think- 
ing he  would  amuse  himself  with  his  playthings  and  the  little 
kitten.  But  Walter  soon  grew  tired  of  these,  and  began  looking- 
for  first  one  thing  and  then  for  another.  Imagine  his  delight 
when  he  found  his  papa's  watch.  He  didn't  care  then  how 
long  his  mamma  staid  away.  Suddenly  she  returned  and 
found  her  little  boy  seated  on  the  floor  beside  a  basin  of 
soapsuds.  One  glance  at  the  child  told  the  story.  Walter 
had  found  the  watch  and  thought  it  needed  cleaning  and 
considered  it  his  duty  to  do  it.  After  washing  the  outside 
thoroughly,  he  opened  the  case  and  poured  the  soapsuds  into* 
the  works.      When    papa  came    home   at    night,    Walter    told 


papa's   WATCH. 


40  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

Mm  how  nicely  lie  had  cleaned  Ms  watch,  and  that  there 
was  no  need  of  taking  it  to  the  jeweler's.  His  papa  gave  a 
heavy  sigh,  making  np  his  mind  that  after  this  event,  he 
"would  put  his  watch   out  of  Walter's   reach. 

-<>- — i      $  o — —J  y  ^— — o  t       ~ — •-*- 

What  affiled  Itase  Eggs? 

E  bought  some   lovely  Brahma  eggs 

And  brought  them  home   for  setting, 
V^    Thinking  how  lucky  he  would  be — 
What  fine   chicks  he'd  be  getting. 

He  put  the   eggs  beneath  the  hen, 

Then  many   days  he  waited ; 
When  finding  that  but  few  had   hatched, 

He  was  not  much  elated. 

The  remnant  of  these   eggs  were  put 

Beneath   another  setter, 
And  much   surprised    was  he  to  find 

That  she'd  done  worse,  not  better. 

At  last  when  patience   all  had  fled 

And  hopes   received  dismissal, 
He  found   the   eggs  that  wouldn't  hatch 

Were   only  artificial. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  41 

The  Wke  Indian. 

CWlli7^"'^'^  was  an  In(^^ai1  c^ief  wno  lived  a  few  years  ago 
¥ \Wmji  in  tlie  great  western  country.  He  said  "he  didn't 
/S^\^M  li^e  wniskey,  because  it  made  the  men  look  so 
ttajl  f00^s^i  an(^  ne  wouldn't  have  it  for  his  braves."  The 
red  man  was  wiser  than  many  of  our,  white  men,  I 
think.  He  went  on  a  journey,  and  was  quite  amazed  at  the 
'•railway  horse."  He  said,  "It  gave  a  snort,  and  away  it 
went  with  all  the  little  houses  after."  He  liked  the  white 
men  and  wanted  to  learn  and  do  all  they  could  do,  "except 
telling  lies   and   drinking  whiskey." 

IT  X  officer,  much  addicted  to  profane  swearing,  visited  one 
of  the  deep  mines  in  Cornwall.  He  was  attended  by 
a  pious  workman  who  was  employed  in  the  works.  During 
his  visit  to  the  mine,  the  officer  uttered  many  profane 
expressions;  and  as  he  ascended  in  company  with  the  pious 
miner,  finding  it  a  long  way,  lie  said  to  him  with  an  oath, 
t;If  it  be  so  far  down  to  your  work,  how  far  is  it  to  the 
bottomless  pit?"  The  honest  miner  promptly  and  seriously 
replied,  "I  do  not  know  how  far  it  is,  sir,  but  I  believe 
that  if  the.  rope  by  which  we  are  drawn  up  should  break, 
you    would    1«"    there    in    a   minute." 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


Beeei^mg  ©2®amdma. 


?|g^^  RAjNTDMA  had  two  little  grand-daughters  living  in 
E^L^W  the  country,  and  they  were  delighted  when  the 
M^7^  season  came  for  them  to  make  her  a  visit.  The 
$%%  best  dresses  and  shoes  were  packed  with  great  care  in 
their  trunk,  and  their  dollies  were  never  forgotten,  for 
grandma  always  made  such  nice  little  dresses  for  them,  and 
this  was  one  reason  why  they  were  always  anxious  to  visit 
her.  Their  names  were  Mamie  and  Beckey,  both  ten  years 
old  and  both  about  the  same  height.  Grandma  was  quite 
old,  and  was  obliged  to  wear  glasses,  and  for  this  reason  could 
not  see  very  well.  But  because  she  could  not  see  well,  was 
no  reason  why  she  should  be  deceived  by  the  twins.  She 
asked  them  one  day  to  stand  side  by  side  and  see  which 
was  the  taller.  They  did  as  they  were  told,  and  grandma 
was  very  much  surprised  to  think  they  had  grown  so  tall. 
She  did  not  think  they  would  stand  on  tip-toe  and  make 
themselves  taller  than  what  they  really  were.  But  do  you 
know  those  little  girls  told  a  story  ?  Although  they  did  not 
speak  a  word,  yet  "their  actions  spoke  louder  than  words." 
Oh,  how  careful  we  should  be  of  our  actions !  Let  our 
actions  be  such  that  we  shall  never  be  ashamed  of  anything: 
we  may  do. 


DECEIVING     (illAXUMA. 


44 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


he    Re^iie. 


"'=w¥^^T  much  some  little  boys 
^/ffi?    love     to     tease     animals. 
Especially    if     tliey    are 
SV^    young  and   scarcely  able  to 
help    themselves.      They    do 
not   stop   to  think  how  much  pain 
they  give  them,   or  how  wicked  it 
is    to    do    harm    to    anything    that 
has  life,    and    that    does   not  harm 
us.      Our     picture    shows    us   how 
near  a  little  kitten  came  drowning. 
Some     children     found     this     little 
kitten  in   the   grass  near  a    stream 
and    thought    it  would  be    fun    to 
see  if  it  could  swim.     So  they  gave 
her    a    toss    into    the    stream,    and 
u^^-— :  every    time    the    poor  thing    would 

come  near  the  bank  they  would  push  her  back.  Poor  kittie 
became  so  exhausted  that  she  was  almost  drowned  when  little 
Mortie  came  along  and  tried  to  rescue  her.  He  knew  time  was 
precious,    so  he  hung    to   a  limb   on   a  tree   and  with   a   stick 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  45 

in  the  other  hand,  he  placed  it  in  the  water  close  beside  the 
kitten.  She  saw  the  limb  was  for  her,  so  clinging  tightly  to 
it  she  was  brought  safely  out  of  the  water,  and  felt  very 
grateful  to  Mortie  for  his  kindness.  Little  children  can  do 
a  great  deal  of  good  in*  the  world,  if  they  only  try,  and  if 
they  begin  young  to  do  right  they  will  love  to  do  the 
Master's   work,  and  rescue  many  a   perishing  soul. 


{    f^y\  OME  go  to   church   just  for   a  walk ; 

lj(^^%  Some  go  there  to  laugh   and   talk ; 

i  ^2>  Some  go   there   for  speculation  ; 

Some  go   there   for  observation ; 

Some  go   there   to  meet  a  friend ; 

Some  go  there   the  lime   to   spend; 

Some  go   to  learn   the  parson's   name; 

Some  go  there  to  sound   his  fame; 

Some  go  then!  to  doze  and  nod; 

But   very    few   to  worship   God. 


46  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

JLr\iw\slm  ©f   J£tr®i@a. 

WijjgOULT)   you    like  to    live  in    Africa  and  see   all    the 

jpj     animals    that  live    there?      I  think   yon   would  be 
»>  \  $-*.**& 
/^£=|d£^     afraid   of   some,   for  they  are  so  frightful   looking. 

jgJjSi         In    this      picture     we     see      three      beautiful      zebras. 

The  zebra  is  very  wild  and  lives  in    the  south  of    Africa. 

Their  speed  is  very  great  and  it  is  with  great   difficulty  that 

they  are   caught.     We   are  told  that  when   they  are   attacked, 

they  form  themselves   into   a  circle,  with  their  heads  towards 

the    center    and    their    heels    towards    the   enemy,    and    defend 

themselves  by  their  kicks.     Their  flesh  is  considered  good  and 

is   eaten  by  natives  and  hunters.      Look  again   at  the  picture 

and  you   will  see  a  number  of  giraffes.      They  seem  to  be  all 

neck  and  legs,  and  if  we   were  to  measure  their  steps  by  the 

length   of  their  legs,  I  don't  think  it  would   take   them  long 

to  run  a  mile.     They  have  large  beautiful  eyes,  placed  so  that 

the  animal  can   see  much  of  what  is  passing  on  all  sides,  and 

even  behind.      For  this   reason    very  few   can    approach   them. 

If   we  go  to   Central  Park    we   can  see   a  number  of    animals 

that  came  from  Africa,  among  them  the  giraffe  and  zebra.     The 

giraffe  is  often  called  a  camelopard,  because  it  resembles  the 

camel  by  its  long  neck  and  the  leopard  by  its  beautiful  spots. 


48  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

A  ]R<®>maB_@e  Sadly  Dispelled. 

^^^'jjj'UNTING   one  morning  tlie  blooming  fields   over, 

I  spied  'mong  the  grasses  a  fair  four-leafed  clover. 
And,  like  any  miss   whose  heart  is   a  rover, 
Put  it  over  the   door  to   see  who   was  my  lover. 

The    Dickens !      A    Paddy    with     a     pack     on     his 
shoulder 

Came  shambling  in   (old   Nick  himself  isn't  bolder); 

He  was   old  as  my  father,    or  likely  much   older, 

And  my  greeting  to  him  was  like  ice,  or  much  colder. 

"Any     Irish    linen    tablecloths,      handkerchiefs,     etc., 
etc.,  etc.,  etc?" 

"I  have  no   desire,    sir,    to  look  at  the  linen!" 

(How  Jeff  in  the  meantime  was   winkin'  and  grinnin' 

And  pointing,    with  mischief  and  leer,  at  my  clover, 

Which  tottled   at   once   all   my  romances   over), 

Then   out  stepped  the    "spark"    that  had    thwarted 
my   trust, 

And  I  threw  down  my  clover  and  stamped  it  in  dust, 

Resolved  not  to   trust  to   a    "lusus"    of  Nature 

If  in  winning  a  beau  it  should  be  such  a  "crayture." 

H.  F.  Bailey. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  49> 


]B©y  ©ka3®a@tei®. 


-T  is  the  greatest  delusion  in  the  world  for  a  boy  to 
get  the  idea  that  his  life  is  of  no  consequence  and 
that  the  character  of  it  will  not  be  noticed.  A 
manly,  truthful  boy  will  shine  like  a  star  in  any 
community.  A  boy  may  possess  as  much  of  noble 
character  as  a  man.  He  may  so  speak  and  live  the  truth 
that  there  shall  be  no  discount  on  his  word.  And  there  are 
such  noble  Christian  boys,  and  wider  and  deeper  than  they 
are  apt  to  think  is  their  influence.  They  are  the  king  boys 
among  their  fellows,  having  an  immense  influence  for  good, 
and  loved  and  respected  because  of  the  simple  fact  of  living 
the   truth. 


jf&*£@\f*-- 


CIIE  mystic  cords  of  memory,  stretching  from  every 
battlefield  and  patriot  grave  to  every  living  heart  and 
hearthstone  all  over  the  land,  will  yet  swell  the  chorus  of 
the   Union,    when   again  touched,    as    surely  they    will   be,    by 

the  better  angels   of   our   nature. 

A.  Lincoln. 


r, 


50  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

Selfish  ^©m. 

_HREE  boys,  Tom,  Willie  and  Joe,  were  school-mates, 
^  and  had  played  together  a  long  time.  They  had 
roamed  over  many  a  field,  caught  many  birds, 
climbed  hundreds  of  trees,  and  yet  an  unpleasant  word 
had  never  passed  between  them.  But  how  soon  Satan  can  get 
control  of  children.  Many  a  child  has  made  a  promise  that 
she  would  not  be  naughty  one  day,  and  before  night  Satan 
would  come  along  and  make  her  break  her  promise.  ~Now 
let  me  tell  you  how  easily  he  governed  Tom.  Tom's  mother 
had  given  him  a  few  pennies  for  his  own  use,  and  one  day 
he  met  a  man  selling  cherries.  Tom  felt  hungry  and  thought 
now  was  a  good  opportunity  to  spend  his  pennies,  as  he  was 
all  alone,  and  could  eat  every  cherry  himself.  But  just  as  he 
sat  down  to  enjoy  them,  who  should  come  along  but  Willie 
and  Joe.  Now  here  was  Tom's  chance  to  share  with  his 
companions.  Joe  and  Willie  had  always  been  generous  with 
Tom,  and  they  supposed  Tom  had  the  same  disposition. 
But  when  Willie  asked  him  for  "just  a  few"  Tom  gave  him 
scowls  instead  of  cherries.  The  two  boys  felt  very  sad  to  see 
their  play-mate  act  in  this  way,  but  while  it  grieved  two, 
it  pleased  one,   and  that  one  was   Satan. 

Let  us  be  careful  not  to  please  one  who  cares  for  us  only 


SELFISH    TOM. 


52  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

to  destroy  us,  for  God  watches  us  and  sees  all  our  actions^ 
and  He  is  the  one  to  please,  and  not  Satan.  God  loves  us 
and  is  anxious  about  his  little  ones,  and  we  should  strive 
to  please  him  in  everything. 


ARMEK.  John  was  wont  to  say 

(He  was  a  man  of  thought  austere), 
"  Sunshine's  the  time  for  making  hay 

And  summer  time  to  persevere ; 
Fruitage  comes  from  pruned  vines, 

And  grafted  trees  will  bear  the  best; 
But  chickens  that  a  coop  confines 

Will  never  have  a  thirfty  nest. 

"He  that  sits  behind  the  stove 

And  rubs  his  hands  in  winter  time, 
Will,   rest  assured,   an  idler  prove 

When  harvests  need  the  men  of  prime. 
Know  the  farmer  by  his  fence: 

If  vines  and  briers   show  their  tops, 
His  judgment  isn't  worth   six  pence; 

He'll  sow  and  reap  the  stinted  crops. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  53 

"Youth  must  have   a  bloomiug  spring 

Ere  manhood  earns   a  fruitage   day ; 
Old  age  would  be  a  barren  thing, 

With  spring  and  summer   fooled  away. 
Then  go  to   work  right  earnest,    boy, 

Give  to  thy   spring  a  fragrant  bloom; 
Then   manhood  will  have  fruit  and  joy 

And   silvered  age  a  flowery  tomb." 


!© 


r — av_y|&_ — >  "'r 


Wh©  ^lade  All  Wka.%  ? 

■HEN  Napoleon  was  returning  to  France  from  the 
expedition  to  Egypt,  a  group  of  French  oflicers 
one  evening  entered  into  a  discussion  concerning 
JSjJSi  the  existence  of  a  God.  They  were  on  the  deck  of 
the  vessel  that  bore  them  over  the  Mediterranean  sea. 
Thoroughly  imbued  with  the  infidel  and  atheistical  spirit  of 
the  times,  they  were  unanimous  in  their  denial  of  this  truth. 
It  was  at  length  proposed  to  ask  the  opinion  of  Napoleon 
on  the  subject,  who  was  standing  alone,  wrapped  in  silent 
thought.  On  hearing  the  question,  "Is  there  a  God?"  he 
raised  his  hand,  and  pointing  to  the  starry  firmament,  simply 
responded,   "Gentlemen,  who  made  all  that?" 


54  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


I 


'vfl1  was  a  sad  day  to  Willie   when   he   said  good-bye  to 
$M    liis    parents    and    sailed    for    Australia    as    a    sailor. 


s%  Tears  filled  his  eyes  as  he  was  packing  his  valise, 
Jpf  V  for  he  well  knew  that  months  would  pass  before  he 
would  see  his  parents  again.  The  last  article  put  in  that 
valise  was  a  Bible,  given  to  him  by  his  mother  with  a  few 
words  written  on  the  fly-leaf.  "To  Willie,  let  this  be  your 
guide."  When  he  left  his  home  he  promised  his  parents 
that  he  never  would  forget  to  pray,  and  if  he  could  tell  any 
one  about  Jesus  he  would  strive  to  do  it.  All  the  sailors 
on  board  the  ' '  Chichester ' '  were  older  than  he,  some  old 
men  who  had  always  been  sailors  and  were  rough  in  their 
talk.  This  Willie  did  not  like,  and  it  greived  him  very  much 
to  hear  the  sailors  swear.  Sunday  morning  came,  and  as- 
Willie  had  always  been  in  the  habit  of  reading  his  Bible, 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  do  it  now.  He  soon  became  a  favorite 
among  the  sailors,  and  every  Sunday  when  there  was  not  so 
much  work  on  hand,  Willie  would  get  some  of  the  idle 
sailors  together  and  tell  them  Bible  stories.  Some  had  never 
heard  of  Jesus,  and  when  Willie  read  to  them  in  Matthew 
of  how  Christ  stilled  the  tempest,  they  seemed  eager  to  hear 
more.      When    the    ship    reached    Australia,   the  Captain  and 


THE    CHRISTIAN    SAILOR    BOY. 


5G  OUPt    TKEASURE    CHEST. 

sailors  were  a  different  class  of  men.  The  sailors  did  not 
swear  at  all,  and  were  kind  to  each  other.  But  poor  Willie 
was  taken  sick  and  died  before  he  reached  his  home.  He 
had  worked  faithfully  for  his  Master,  and  had  put  new 
thoughts  in  the  minds  of  the  captain  and  crew.  As  he  lay 
on  his  dying  bed  and  they  all  gathered  around  him  to  say 
"good  bye,"  his  last  words  were  "Let  Jesus  be  your  Captain." 


? — a)   ^J     »"fa-s--«     F  cs — I 

What  little  Mamd©  Oaio.  B©. 


HILDREN  think  they  can  do  little  good,  and  even 
their  parents  generally  think  the  same.  They  can 
^i^q  be  obedient  and  affectionate — this  all  admit,  but 
iTO*  few  think  they  are  old  enough  to  do  anything  for  the 
salvation  of  the  world.  Now  children,  this  is  a  great  error. 
Can  a  child  do  as  much  as  an  insect?  "Why,  yes,"  ex- 
claims  every  little  reader,    and    "more   too." 

Let  us  all  imagine  that  you  and  I  are  sailing  in  a  vessel 
upon  the  South  seas.  How  beautifully  we  glide  along !  The 
vessel  skims  the  ocean  like  a  swan.  But  what  is  that  yonder, 
rising  above  the  billows  like  a  painted  highland?  How  it 
sparkles  in  the  rays  of  the  sun  like  a  rock  of  silver,  and 
now    it    assumes     different     colors,     variegated    in    the     most 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  57 

charming  manner — red,  gold  and  silvery  hues,  all  blend 
together  in  delightful  richness.  Nearer  and  nearer  we  come 
to  the  attractive  object,  all  the  while  appearing  more  beautiful 
and  brilliant  than  the  Crystal  palace,  when  lo !  we  discover 
it  is  the  splendid  work  of  insects,  so  small  that  we  cannot 
see  them  with  a  naked  eye.  Yes,  the  little  coral  insect 
threw  up  those  many  colored  reefs,  a  little  at  a  time,  until 
we  have   this  magnificent   sight. 

And  just  over  there,  beyond  that  line  of  reefs,  you 
see  that  little  island  covered  with  tall  palm  trees,  so  green 
and  slender.  The  foundation  of  that  island,  now  a  fit 
habitation  for  men,  was  laid  by  the  coral  insect.  Myriads 
of  them  worked  away,  year  after  year,  until  a  huge  bed 
of  coral  became  the  foundation  of  the  sland ;  then  the  soil 
accumulated,  and  the  trees  grew,  as  they  are  now  seen. 
This  is  what  some  insects  do  towards  making  this  wild  a 
habitation  for  mankind.  They  make  islands.  God  did  not 
create  them  to  be  useless  in  this  world,  where  so  much  is 
to  be  done.  Their  work  amounts  to  something.  Would  you 
not  be  as  useful  as  the  little  coral  insect?  You  cannot  build 
islands,  but  you  can  help  the  people  who  live  upon  them, 
and  those  who  live  in  other  parts  of  the  earth.  A  half-penny 
is  a  small  gilt,  but  ten  of  them  make  a  dime.  A  grain  of 
.sand     is    very     minute,    but    enough    of    them     will     make    a 


58  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

mountain.  So  the  little  which  one  child  does  for  God  may 
seem  too  small  to  be  counted,  but  perhaps  twenty  of  these 
littles  are  equal  to  the  work  of  one  full  grown  man  or 
woman.  Do  not  forget  that  if  3-011  do  nothing  for  God,  you 
are  not  worth  as  much  as  the  coral  insect. 


,<2>K9. 


The  Mpst  Fall  ©f  ga®w. 

-wl»iTTLB   MAY  had  passed  her  summer  months   in  the 


l^S>     country,  and  was   very  happy  as   she  frolicked  over 
wS^Mi^S     the  fields,  gathering  wild  flowers  and  pretty  mosses. 


llpf     She    teased    her    mamma    to     stay    longer,    but    mamma 

S& 

knew   that  when  the  cold  winds  began  to  blow  and   Jack 

Frost  would  come  along  that   May  would   wish   herself   closely 

housed  in  her  city  home.      After  she  reached  her  home   it   was 

her   delight   to    sit   by  the   window    and    throw   crumbs    to   the 

little   birds   outside.      They  seemed   to   feel   so   happy  and   did 

not  fear  her  at   all.      After   she   had   fed  them    they  would   fly 

up  in  the  tree  and  there    sing   their   loudest   notes    as    though 

they  were  thanking  her  for  their  breakfast.      But  one  morning 

May  went  to  the  window  to  see  if  her  birdies  were  waiting  for 

her,  and  to  her  surprise  the  ground  was  white  with  snow.      At 

first  May  did  not  know  what  to  make   of  the   white   cover    on. 


THE    1TKST    SNOW 


GO  OTJK    TREASURE    CHEST. 

the  ground,  and  as  she  saw  the  flakes  falling  she  wondered 
where  all  the  geese  feathers  came  from.  Mamma  soon  told 
her  it  was  the  "first  fall  of  snow."  Then  May's  first  thought 
was — what  will  become  of  all  the  little  birds,  for  they  will 
never  find  enough  to  eat.  This  worried  May  very  much, 
but  soon  the  warm  sun  came  out  and  melted  all  the  snow, 
and    the  birdies  and  little  May  were   happy  once  more. 

Birds   do   not   have    to    worry    about   what   they   will   have 
to   eat ;    God   provides   for   their   wants   as   well   as   ours. 

„    -      i,—aStez>    ii  r    ■ 


P<®>lite:m.e^. 

To||  OYS    and    girls    must    be    polite.       When    you    come 


■'-,* 


down  stairs  in   the   morning,  say,    "Good   morning," 

1§p|r^     to   all   in   the   room.       When     you    go    up    stairs    to 

bed  be    careful  to   say,     "Good    night,"    in    the    same 


way.  If  you  see  older  persons  looking  for  chairs,  try 
to  help  them  if  you  can.  Little  boys  should  lift  their 
hats  politely  when  they  are  spoken  to  in  the  street,  and 
they  should  always  take  off  their  hats  when  they  go  into  a 
house.  These  may  seem  like  small  things,  but  a  true  gen- 
tleman or  lady  will  never  forget  them.  Be  polite  in  small 
things.      Be    as    polite    at    home    as    when    away    from    home. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  CI 

Always  be  ready  to  do  a  kindness  to  any  one  who  may  need 
it.  You  know  that  you  like  to  have  people  kind  to  you. 
Do   to   others   as   you   would   have   them   do   to  you. 


Hew  a  Km<i  A@t  ^kiiELe®. 

HARLIE,"    said  his   mother,  when    he    came    in    from 


school,    "will   you    try  to   amuse    your    little    sister 
for  a   while?"      Did  he   scowl  and    pout,    and    look 
C/if    "No,    I   wont,"     if    he    did    not    say    it?      No,     Charlie 


did  not.  Did  he  wince,  and  say,  "Oh,  mother,  I  have 
been  pent  up  in  school  all  the  morning,  and  I  want  to  go 
out  and  play;  can't  somebody  else  take  her?"  No;  many 
a  boy  would,  but  Charlie  did  not.  The  boys  were  waiting 
for  him  at  the  door  to  come  and  play,  and  Charlie  would 
have  liked  to  go,  but  he  gave  up  his  own  pleasure  for  his 
dear  mother's  sake,  or  rather,  he  made  it  his  "pleasure  to 
help  her.  "Yes,  mother,  I'll  take  sissy,  you  look  so  tired," 
answered  Charlie  pleasantly.  And  his  kind  and  willing 
tones   sent   sunshine   into  his  mother's  heart. 

"Sissy"    had    been    sick    and   fretful,    and   mother  had   to 
neglect  many  things  for  her  sake.      Mother,  thus  released,  had 


■62  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

time  to  take  a  long  breath  in  another  room ;  then  to  meet 
Amy,  who  was  trudging  up-stairs  crying,  with  a  splinter  in 
her  finger — she  took  out  the  splinter,  soothed  the  little  finger, 
and  kissed  away  the  tears ;  then  she  hastened  to  the  kitchen, 
where  poor  Bridget  was  worried  with  her  work.  "I'm  indeed 
glad  you  have  come,  ma'am,"  said  she;  "there's  a  woman 
waiting  at  the  door,  and  I  told  her  you  couldn't  come ; 
every  thing's  at  beam-ends."  The  mother  spoke  cheerfully 
to  Bridget,  and  she  went  to  the  door  and  said  a  kind  word  to 
the  poor  old  woman  on  the  steps,  and  put  a  loaf  in  her 
basket,  and  she  hobbled  off  with  a  streak  of  sunshine  in 
her  heart.  Then  mother  helped  Bridget  about  this  thing,  and 
told  her  about  that,  and  put  new  life  into  the  boiling  and 
roasting,  in  order  to  have  dinner  all  ready  when  father  and 
uncle  came  home. 

As  mother  went  about  her  household  cares,  lightening 
and  brightening  every  burden  in  her  way,  it  was  her  greatest 
comfort  to  feel  that  "Sissy"  was  in  good  hands;  for  Charlie, 
she  was  sure,  was  doing  his  best  to  make  the  little  one  happy. 
Charlie's  kindness  to  his  little  sister  did  not  stop  there;  it 
shone  on  his  mother,  and  on  Amy ;  it  shone  into  the  kitchen ; 
it  shone  on  Bridget,  and  the  poor  woman;  and  it  shed  its  soft 
warmth  over  the  dinner  hour,  and  streamed  with  a  mellow 
light  over  all  the  rest  of  the  day  long. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


03 


Tke  Bird's  Ke»fc. 


'X   a  small  village   in  Connecticut  lived  a  lady  whose 
name  was  Mrs.  Jenkins.      Mrs.  Jenkins,  though  poor, 
was   a  good    Christian  lady,    and    seemed    to    delight 
in    making    others    happy.      She   had  a    very  pleasant 
home    and     her    friends    seemed     to    take    great     delight 
in   visiting  her   during   the  summer   months.      One   reason  why 


64  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

her  home   seemed   so   cheerful    and    pleasant,    was    on    account 
of  the  many  little  birds  that  built  their  nests   so  near  it. 

Early  in  the  morning,  Mrs.  Jenkins  would  be  in  her 
garden  listening  to  their  concert.  Oh,  how  happy  those  dear 
little  birds  were,  never  fearing  that  some  naughty  boys 
would  come  and  destroy  their  home. 

One  summer  Mrs.  Jenkins  thought  she  would  increase  her 
income  a  little  by  taking  a  few  boys  to  board.  Everything 
went  smoothly  for  a  week  or  two,  'til  one  day  she  heard 
such  a  chattering  among  the  birds.  She  knew  in  a  moment 
some  trouble  was  brewing,  and  soon  found  out  that  the 
naughty  boys  had  been  robbing  the  birds  of  their  nests 
and  young.  This  grieved  Mrs.  Jenkins  very  much  and  the 
following  day  she  put  up  a  sign  in  the  apple  tree.  Mothers 
thought  it  very  hard  that  they  could  not  find  board  there 
for  their  boys,  but  soon  found  out  the  trouble.  How  wicked 
it  was  to  rob  the  birds  of  their  little  homes.  God  gave  us 
the  birds  and  they  never  do  us  any  harm.  How  kind  we 
should  be  to  them. 

I  once  read  a  story  about  a  little  bird  who  had  been 
robbed  so  many  times  of  her  nest,  that  at  last  she  built  it 
in  the  muzzle  of  a  cannon  on  top  of  an  old  fort.  She  felt 
safe  then  and  out  of  the  way  of  naughty  boys. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  65- 


"What  Jfext?" 


7  GENTLEMAN,     riding    near    the    city,    overtook    a 
well-dressed  young  man,   and  invited  Mm  to  a  seat 
/^§0\  ^)     in  Ms  carriage. 

g&*^  "What,"    said    the    gentleman    to    the     youngs 

stranger,    "are  your  plans  for  the  future?1' 

"I  am  a  clerk,"  replied  the  young  man,  "and  my  hope 
is  to  succeed,  and  get  into  business  for  myself." 

"And  what  next?"  said  the  gentleman. 

"Why,  I  intend  to  marry,  and  set  up  an  establishment  of 
my  own,"   said  the  youth. 

"And  what  next?" 

"Why,  to  continue  in  business,  and  accumulate  wealth.'' 

"And  what  next?" 

"It  is  the  lot  of  all  to  die,  and  I,  of  course,  cannot 
escape,"  replied  the  young  man. 

"And  what  next?"  once  more  asked  the  gentleman;  but 
the  young  man  had  no  answer  to  make ;  he  had  no  purposes 
that  reach  beyond  the  present  life.  How  many  young  men  are 
in  precisely  the  same  condition.  What  pertains  to  the  world  to 
come  has  no  place  in  all  their  plans. 


€G  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

£pui.st  im.  ^ime. 

OW    fortunate    it    is   always    to    be    "just    in    time." 

The   school  boy  thinks   so   as  he  hears  the  last  bell 

ring,    and    he    catches    up    his    books   and  hat  and 

fj**t%?  starts  for  school.    Then,  too,  to  come  in  just  as  Mamma 

was  taking  such  a  lovely  pie  out  of  the  oven.     Had  he 

been   a  moment  later  he  would   have  missed    it,    but   now   he 

is   "just  in  time"    and   can  have  a  piece. 

Let  me  tell  you  what  happened  to  the  little  girl  in  the 
picture.  She  was  only  four  years  old,  and  had  crossed  the 
track  many  a  time  and  brought  an  apple  home  for  Mamma, 
and  this  day  she  thought  she  could  go  again.  Her  Mamma 
missed  her  and  searching  carefully  everywhere  was  unable  to 
find  her.  Going  to  the  orchard  she  called  loudly,  but  no 
answer.  She  could  not  imagine  where  her  little  one  was 
gone — never  dreaming  she  lay  asleep  on   the    track. 

Her  father,  leaving  his  work  at  night,  thought  he  would 
take  the  shortest  route  home,  and  come  down  the  track.  As 
he  travelled  along,  thinking  of  the  little  one  who  would  greet 
him  at  the  gate,  he  saw  something  on  the  track.  Rushing 
=ahead,  he  saw  it  was  his  own  child.  In  a  moment  he  dragged 
her  off,  and  she  was  safe.  The  train  in  an  instant  dashed  by, 
but  jiapa  was  "just  in  time"  to  save  his  child.     Tired  out,  the 


68  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

little  one  had  fallen  asleep  beside  the  track,  still  clasping  the 
apple  for  Mamma,  and  unconscious  of  the  approaching  train. 
How  thankful  Mamma  was  that  her  child  was  brought  safely 
to  her. 

Mttle  J^Eap^,  ©3®  a  Better  Waj. 

HE  bell  for  recess  was  just  ringing,  and  from  my 
window  towards  the  school-house  green  I  could  see 
the  children  rush  out,  shouting  and  scattering  all 
around,  full  of  delight  at  their  liberty. 
They  all  knew  me,  and  many  smiling  "  Good-mornings ' y 
did  I  have  each  day ;  while  in  the  afternoon,  when  they 
were  dismissed,  I  got  the  recital  of  what  had  taken  place 
within  the  four  red  walls. 

They  seemed  now  to  be  unusually  full  of  fun  and 
frolic.  Every  game  in  vogue  among  them  was  duly  rehearsed, 
when  suddenly  their  gaze  was  turned  towards  the  road. 

Down  the  hill  was  coming,  with  his  rapid  and  uncertain 
step,  a  poor  lad,  at  once  the  sport  and  the  dread  of  the 
place,  known  as  "Crazy  Bob."  He  was  one  of  those  un- 
fortunate beings  who  give  way  to  outbursts  of  passion  and 
revenge,  and  who  in  some  rural  districts  receive  all  surplus 
of  mischief  from  the   children. 


OUK    TREASURE    CHEST.  69 

A  consultation  was  evidently  taking  place  among  the 
'older  boys,  who,  I  judged,  were  trying  to  pursuade  the  rest 
to   enlist  for  an  attack  upon  Bob. 

So  it  was.  He  had  no  sooner  come  near,  than  war  was 
declared ;  and  what  by  being  dragged  and  pushed,  by 
having  his  tattered  hat  knocked  off  and  thrown  among  the 
bushes,  in  short,  by  being  teased  and  tormented  in  every 
possible  way,  he  indeed  deserved  pity.  He  was  a  tall  young 
man,  and,  had  he  tried,  might  in  a  moment  have  dispersed 
his  persecutors. 

For  some  time  he  endured  all  with  but  little  resistance, 
and  I  was  wishing  the  school-bell  would  be  heard  again, 
when  my  little  friend  Mary  Brown  suddenly  ran  towards  the 
young  tyrants.  She  seemed  to  be  asking  them  a  favor,  and 
her  kind  young  face  beamed  with  compassion  for  the  poor 
victim,  who  now,  amid  shouts  of  laughter,  was  having  his 
hands  tied  behind  his  back  with  small  blue  and  red 
handkerchiefs. 

Bravely  approaching,  she  endeavored  to  free  him.  She 
was  a  general  favorite,  and  her  example  soon  pervailed  ;  the 
prisoner  was  released,  Mary  taking  hold  of  his  great  rough 
hand,    and   kindly   leading  him   a   little  way. 

That  afternoon  I  called  Mary  to  see  me.  I  told  her  how 
glad   I    was    she    had    been    compassionate    to    poor  Bob,    and 


70  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

that  I  sincerely  hoped  she  "would  always  do  so,  and  never 
let  the  boys  ill-treat  him  without  helping  him  if  she  could ; 
and  I  asked  her  if  she  would,  to  me,  her  old  friend,  say 
what  it  was  that  had  kept  her  from  joining  them  in  their 
cruel   amusement. 

' '  Don' t  you  know  V '  she  answered  ;  ' '  what  you  read  us 
last  Sunday,  that  we  must  k  do  to  others  as  we  would  have 
others  do  to  us ;'  and  I  would  not  like  to  be  teased  and 
have  my  hands  tied.      I  want  to  obey  Jesus,    for  I  love  Him,'r 

£— &)  r3=fS%§  £   &  ■  (® — S 

^ke  NaugMj-  ©©at. 

iJ^DrTH  TV had  been   very  busy   all   day  making- 

^V?^  wreaths  and  crowns,  for  the  little  ones  were 
going  to  have  a  holiday  and  Edith  had  promised  to 
make  so  many  wreaths  and  so  many  crowns  for  the 
children  Now  Edith  had  a  brother  named  Demille,  and  he 
had  a  very  mischievous  goat.  Demille  had  trained  him  to 
draw  a  wagon,  and  many  were  the  rides  the  children  had 
enjoyed.  For  this  reason,  I  suppose,  he  thought  he  had  a 
right  to  take  what  belonged  to  the  little  girls.  As  fast  as 
Edith    had  a  wreath    made    and  laid  aside,    Mr.    Goat    would 


ft 


Tin:    NAUGHTY    GOAT. 


72  OUK    TREASURE    CHEST. 

quietly  walk  up,  and  before  slie  could  say  a  word,  lie  would 
destroy  it.  Now  this  tried  Editli's  patience  very  much,  and 
she  declared  to  Demille  that  unless  he  locked  the  goat  up 
•she  would  surely  whip  him.  Her  brother  thought  it  was 
fine  fun  for  the  goat,  and  as  he  seemed  to  enjoy  it  so  much, 
poor  Edith  had  her  hands  full.  At  last  the  goat  was  har- 
nessed for  a  drive,  and  Edith  for  a  while  had  a  rest.  When 
she  finished  her  own  wreath,  she  put  it  on  her  head  and 
considered  it  safe ;  but  when  Mr.  Goat  came  home  she 
changed  her  mind,  for  no  sooner  was  the  goat  out  of  har- 
ness than  he  gave  one  jump  for  the  wreath.  Poor  Edith 
gave  one  shriek,  but  her  wreath  was  destroyed,  and  the  goat 
was  locked  up  for  acting  so  rudely.  She,  remembering  the 
old  saying,  "if  at  first  you  don't  succeed,  try,  try  again," 
continued  making  her  wreaths  for  the  children  without 
being  further  molested . 


t 


HE  mother  in  her  office  holds  the  key 

Of  the   soul ;   and  she  it  is   who   stamps  the   coin 

Of  character,  and  makes  the  being  who  would  be  a  savage, 

But  for  her  gentle   care,   a  Christian  man. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  73 


ke  Be^t  JB©j\ 


O  my  little  readers  know  who  Abraham  Lincoln  was? 
He  was  one  of  the  very  best  presidents  our  country 
ever  had.  He  was  killed  for  doing  right,  murdered 
bv  a  wicked  man  because  he  did  his  duty. 
w?  I  want  to  tell  you  what  his  mother  said  about  him :  "I 
can  say  what  scarcely  one  mother  in  a  thousand  can :  Abe 
never  gave  me  a  cross  word  or  look  and  never  refused  in 
fact  or  appearance  to  do  anything  I  asked  him.  Abe  was  the 
best  boy  I  ever  saw  or  expect  to  see." 

Don't  you  think  his  being  such  a  good  boy  had  something 
to  do  with  his  being  such  a  good  man  ?  Yes,  indeed  it  had. 
Bad  boys  dont  grow  to  be  grand,  noble  men.  If  you  want 
to  be  good  when  you  are  grown  up,  begin  now  while  you 
are  a  child. 

'     "    "  -2>Jfl,(SZrc       :    " 

TTOW  beautiful  it  is  to  see  the  young  reverence  old  age! 
/  "We  never  see  a  little  boy  bowing  respectfully  to  an  aged 
man  in  the  street  but  we  feel  sure  he  is  a  good  boy.  Rever- 
ence is  always  due  to  aged  people.  God,  nature,  and  a 
proper  education  say  to  the  young :  reverence  old  age.  The 
promptings  of  our  kindly  nature  teach  us  to  respect  the 
aged,  to  rise  up  before  the  hoary  head.  The  dim  eye,  the 
furrowed  brow,  and  temples  thinly  clad,  who  would  not 
respect,  reverence,  and  love  them. 


74  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

Mp.  Wayfeaek's  Bap'bei®  Sk©p. 

^HTS  picture  represents  an  old-time  barber  shop,  and 
many  a  small  country  place  has  one.  To  us,  who 
are  used  to  the  nicely  fitted  up  shops  of  to-day, 
this  old  place  looks  queer  enough.  This  old  gentleman 
not  only  cut  hair,  and  shaved,  but  he  would  cobble  shoes, 
pull  teeth,  grind  scissors,  and  do  any  other  small  job  by 
which  he  might   enlarge  his  income. 

This  boy  seems  not  to  be  enjoying  himself  very  much. 
When  the  boy  put  himself  under  Mr.  Wayback's  care  with- 
out first  combing  his  hair  out  of  tangle,  the  old  gentleman 
himself  took  the  snarl  out,  but  the  boy  wished  he  wore  a 
wig,  which  could  be  left  with  the  barber  to  be  trimmed  and 
dressed — for  Mr.  Wayback  was  not  very  light  with  his  hands, 
and  would  often  pull  and  twitch  the  hair  until  the  boy's 
eyes  were  full  of  tears. 

Boys,  in  time,  become  men ;  and  they  can  look  back  and 
laugh  over  Mr.  Wayback's  hair-cutting,  and  all  the  other 
trials  of  their  boyhood.  It  is  right  to  be  neat  with  your 
hair  and  person  generally ;  but  it  is  not  right  to  give  more 
care  to  the  outside  of  your  head  than  to  the  inside. 

So,  laddies,  fill  your  heads  full  of  useful  knowledge ;  then 
put  this  knowledge  into  honest,  persevering  action,  and  in  the 


|:B|M"r'    </*%  !l  ": "         N  \"v    liiill  PlfliTP"' 

i;|m^jf'  ■'■'■,'  *  '-^lll '  -'II'1   I 


MR.    WAYBACK  S    BAKU  Kit    .SHOT. 


7G  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

right  direction,  and  then  your  lives  will  be  successes,  and 
your  village,  or  city,  will  be  better  because  you  have  lived  in 
it  and  done   your  duty  faithfully. 

©u®  @®^_ELtp^'g  Mag. 

jHY  do  we  love  and  honor  it  \     Because  it  represents 
the  government  and  the  institutions  of  our  country. 
The  flag  of  a  country    proclaims    the   authority   of 
that    country.      It    promises   to  protect    its   citizens   and 
property  in  their  lawful  rights   and  uses. 

' '  When  did  it  begin  V '  asked  a  boy.  In  other  words, 
when  was  our  flag  adopted?  While  we  were  colonies  of 
England,  the  English  flag  was  our  flag.  What  is  the  English 
flag?  Let  us  go  back  a  little.  The  old  Scotch  flag  was  a 
cross,  called  the  cross  of  St.  Andrews.  The  old  English 
flag  was  a  cross,  called  the  cross  of  St.  George.  When 
England  and  Scotland  were  united,  their  flags  were  united 
also.  The  two  crosses  were  laid  together,  St.  George  over 
St.  Andrews,  forming  the  figure  called  the  "Union  Jack," 
emblazoned   on   a  red  ground. 

While  Washington  was  encamped  at  Cambridge,  and 
the    British    held    Boston,    as    you    remember,    he    was    very 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  ?7 

ranch  in  need  of  a  flag  to  represent  the  American  cause. 
Every  regiment,  I  suppose,  had  something  fluttering  in  the 
breeze ;  bnt  an  American  flag,  representing  the  new  nation 
of  the  west,    was  wanting.      What  shonld  it  be? 

"  Well,"  perhaps  he  said,  examining  the  old  English  flag, 
"since  the  cross  is  an  emblem  of  Christianity,  we  will  keep 
that ;  and  since  two  crosses  represent  nnion  in  England  and 
Scotland,  why  may  they  not  represent  nnion  in  the  colonies 
as  well ;  but  instead  of  plain  red  ground,  we  will  have 
striped  ground,   red  and  white." 

So  the  British  "Union  Jack"  on  striped  ground  was 
agreed  upon ;  and  I  dare  say  there  was  great  cheering  in 
the  American  camp  as  the  new  American  flag  was  unfurled 
to  the  breeze. 

When  the  British  in  Boston  caught  sight  of  it,  "What 
is  this?"  they  asked,  raising  their  glasses  to  examine  it. 
"Ah,  ha!  it  is  a  signal  for  surrender,"  they  said.  "Wash- 
ington is  ready  to  lay  down  his  arms.  The  stripes  under 
the  British  Jack  mean  submission,  and  nothing  else ;"  and 
they  hastened  to  let  Washington  know  that  his  signal  was 
seen  and  understood.  But  they  soon  found  out  their 
mistake. 

"That  won't  do,"  said  the  American  generals;  so  they 
pulled  down    the    crosses    and    put  up  the    stars — a  circle  of 


78  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

stars,   thus  denoting  union.      The  next  flag  therefore  was  the 
"Stars  and   Stripes." 

Congress  approved  and  adopted  it  as  onr  national  flag. 
The  thirteen  stripes  are  continued,  representing  the  orignal 
thirteen  States.  Every  new  state  adds  a  new  star  to  the 
cluster,  not  arranged  in  a  circle,  as  at  first,  but  marshalled 
into  a  constellation  shaped  like  a  star;  the  idea  of  union 
being  still  preserved  in  their  harmonious  combination  in  one 
great  star,  a  "social  star,"  which  is  said  to  be  the  proper 
way   of    arranging  them 


"Waitmg  f©p  tke  ©awiage. 

i^ITTLE    Hattie    II had    been  promised  a  ride  for 

a  long  time,  and  every  time  she  put  her  things  on 
to    go     something    would    happen    to    prevent.      She 
IP  felt  very  much    disappointed  every  time  she  was   obliged 
to  remain  at  home,   but  quietly  made  up  her    mind   that 
sometime   she   would  get  her  promised  ride. 

Hattie  had  a  good  disposition  and  tried  to  be  kind  to 
everyone.  She  felt  particularly  interested  in  poor  children, 
and    when  her  mamma    came    in   one   day    and  told   her  that 


WAITING    FOR    THE    CARRIAGE. 


80  OUR    TREASURE    CIIEST. 

they  would  visit  that  afternoon  the  orphan  asylum,  she  was 
delighted.  She  soon  had  some  cakes  and  jellies  placed  on 
the  mantle,  waiting  to  be  taken  as  soon  as  the  carriage  came. 
While  she  sat  waiting,  her  brother  Ivy  came  in,  and 
as  soon  as  he  learned  where  they  were  going,  he  asked  if 
he  could  go.  Mamma  soon  gave  her  consent,  and  they 
were  in  a  short  time  on  the  road.  Ivy  thought'  he  must 
take  something  to  the  orphans  too,  so  quite  often  as  the 
carriage  would  stop  by  the  roadside  he  would  jump  out 
and  gather  the  wild  flowers.  How  happy  they  were  as 
they  reached  the  orphans'  home  and  the  children  greeted 
them.  How  happy  those  children  were  as  Hattie  and  Ivy 
gave  them  their  gifts.  But  Hattie  felt  rather  sad  after  she 
returned  to  her  own  home  to  think  there  were  so  many 
little  girls  and  boys  in  the  world  without  a  mamma.  But 
she  was  happy  in  the  thought  that  God  takes  care  of  the 
little  ones  and  calls    them  His  lambs. 


F  you  would  have  your  learning  stay, 
Be  patient — don't  learn   too  fast; 

The  man  who  travels  a  mile  each    day, 
May  get  round  the  world  at  last. 


I 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  8i 

Jack's  JRide. 

^HILDREN"  are  usually   willing  to  go  tlirougli  a  great 

'W,    deal  for  the  sake  of  gaining  a  little.     In  their  case, 

5v-$  trouble  is,  indeed,  a  pleasure,  when  it  leads  to  some 
\-Si=r  desired  end.  A  small  pony  had  been  given  to  little 
^Ai  Jack,  and  his  delight  in  the  new  pet  and  companion  knew 
no  bounds.  The  pony,  however,  proved  to  have  one  fault — he 
refused  to  budge  a  step,  with  his  master  in  the  saddle,  unless 
their  way  lay  homeward.  He  could  be  led  anywhere,  but 
he  would  not  be  driven,  except  in  the  direction  of  his  stable. 
One  morning,  a  friend  of  the  family  met  the  boy  trudging 
along,  a  mile   away  from  home,  leading  the   obstinate  pony. 

"Why,  Jack,"  he   cried,   "is  that  you?  How  far  are    you 
going  ?" 

"Just  as   far  as   I  can,"  returned   Jack,  seriously. 

"But   why   don't  you   ride?" 

"I   can't." 

"Why,  surely  you  know  how  to  ride!" 

"See  here,  Mr.  Smith,"  said  Jack,  coming  very  close, 
and  speaking  confidentially,  while  he  stroked  the  pony's 
nose,  "I  wouldn't  tell  anybody  but  you."  "What  is  it?" 
"I  can't  make  Topsy  stir  a  peg  unless  she's  going  towards 
home,  so  I  walk  out  just  as  far  as  I  can  with  her.  Then 
I  get  on  and  turn  her  round,  and  she  gets  over  the  ground, 
I  tell  you!  You  just  sit  here  and  wait  half  an  hour,  and 
you'll   see  me   go  by,  lickety-eut  ?" 


82  OUIl    TREASURE    CHEST. 

^ke  ^intelligent   ©3g. 

OW  many  little  girls  and  boys  who  are  only 
three  years  old  can  count  and  pick  out  the 
ifeyf^  numkers  written  on  cards  up  to  thirty?  This 
gSw*  is  what  Frisk  is  able  to  do.  The  number  "16"  has 
Ibeen  called  for,  and  "Frisk"  went  looking  over  the  cards 
that  were  all  turned  with  the  numbers  up  'til  he  came  to 
the  right  one,  which  he  picked  up  and  held  in  his  mouth. 
Smart  little  fellow,  does  not  know  he  is  holding  it  wrong 
side  up,  but  he  feels  very  proud  of  his  abilities.  Dogs  are 
among  the  most  intelligent  and  sagacious  of  all  animals. 
Each  one  can  follow  his  master's  footsteps,  though  the  master 
himself  is  out  of  sight  and  many  others  have  passed  over  the 
way  since  he  trod  there.  Many  a  human  life  has  been  saved  by 
an  intelligent  dog.  Once  there  was  a  Prince,  whom  some 
wicked  men  plotted  to  kill.  They  gave  the  guard  who  kept 
wratch  over  his  sleeping  apartments  a  strong  drug  to  give  to 
him.  But  the  Prince  had  a  little  spaniel  who  always  slept  in 
the  same  room  with  him.  The  night  that  the  wicked  men 
came  to  kill  the  Prince,  while  they  were  trying  to  unbar 
the  door,  the  little  spaniel  heard  them,  jumped  up  on  the 
Prince's  bed,  scratched  his  face,  so  that  he  awoke,  heard  the 
noise,   and  gave  the  alarm,   and  so  his  life  was  saved. 


THE    INTELLIGENT    DOG. 


84  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

There  are  many  varieties  of  dogs,  each  one  useful  in 
his  place. 

On  one  occasion  a  little  boy,  playing  near  a  dock,  fell  into 
the  water.  The  tide  was  running  very  strong,  and  soon  he 
was  out  of  the  reach  of  help.  A  Newfoundland  dog,  with 
whom  he  had  been  playing,  saw  his  little  friend's  danger, 
jumped  into  the  water,  swam  out  to  him,  seized  him  by  the 
collar,  and  brought  him  to  the  shore.  Many  like  incidents 
can  be  given,  but  among  the  most  famous  of  the  dogs  is 
the  St.  Bernard.  These  are  powerful  creatures  who  live  up 
on  the  Alps  and  they  are  used  by  parties  to  go  out  and 
rescue  and  save  poor  travelers  who  may  become  overwhelmed 
in  an  avalanche,  or  overtaken  in  a  terrible  snow-storm.  The 
dogs  seem  to  know  what  is  wanted  of  them,  and  when 
started  out  will  follow  the  footsteps  of  the  traveler  until 
they  find  him,  oftentimes  half  dead.  A  package  of  food  is 
often  tied  around  the  dogs  neck  to  refresh  the  traveler. 
When  the  dog  finds  him  he  barks  and  howls  so  as  to  be 
heard  by  the  rescuing  party. 

Many  of  us  can  learn  lessons  from  dogs.  They  teach  us 
paitience,  endurance  and  obedience.  Let  us  be  kind  to 
these  dumb  creatures ;  use  them  aright  and  use  our  talents 
as  well   as  they  use   theirs. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  85 


Safety  fp©m  ^emptati@B_. 


Resist  the  devil  and  he  will  flee  from  you. — James  4  : 5. 

3IS§3eSIST   the   devil ;  he    will  flee  ; 
Thus  says  God's  holy  Word. 
,_iJ£r  A  mean  and  coward  foe  is  he 
ali®'         He'll  tremble  if    he   should  but  see 


v<- 


The  banner  of  the  Lord. 

But  if  you  pause  with  gracious  smile, 

Ah,  then  he'll  gain  your  ear; 
Ajid  with  some  cunning,  artful  wile 
He  will  your  foolish  heart  beguile 
And  catch  you  in  his  snare. 

The  Saviour  is  our  sure  defence 

Against  this  crafty  foe ; 
"We  hide  in  his   omnipotence, 
And   say  to   Satan,    "Get  thee   hence;" 

And  he   will   surely  go. 

He   will   not  stay   where   Jesus  lives, 

The   Holy   One   of   God; 
Happy  the  child  who  this  believes, 
And  who  his  heart  all   willing  gives 

To   Christ  for  his  abode. 


«G  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


it 


"Up  f©p  Hepaip^." 


)ID  YOU  ever  see  a  big  boat  or  steamship  on  a  dry 
dock?  And  did  you  ever  wonder  why  she  was 
there?  Well,  when  you  see  one  there,  you  can 
make  up  your  mind  she  is  "up  for  repairs"— that  is, 
some  of  her  machinery  is  out  of  order  and  needs  fixing, 
or  she  has  sprung  a  leak  and  must  be  repaired.  Now  you 
look  at  the  picture  and  see  if  the  little  boy  does  not  remind 
you  of  a  steamboat  "up  for  repairs."  Surely  his  machinery 
is  all  right,  for  he  can  stand  on  his  feet,  and  his  arms  seem 
to  be  ready  for  motion,  and  his  neck  is  not  broken  for  he 
has  just  turned  his  head  around  to  see  what  sister  is  doing, 
but  never-the-less  his  rigging  is  torn,  and  he  is  standing 
against  the  fence  until  Winnie  has  repaired  the    hole. 

This  was  a  bad  accident  to  Winnie's  brother,  and  he  was 
sorry  enough  it  happened,  but  never  mind,  sister  could  mend 
it  and  not  say  a  word.  That  was  what  he  thought,  but  while 
Winnie  was  putting  such  careful  stitches  in  it,  she  was 
anxious  to  know  how  it  happened.  Sorrowful  boy.  He  had 
to  confess  he  had  been  climbing  trees  and  stealing  apples, 
and  this  was  what  made  it  a  great  deal  worse.  Only  for  the 
tear  in  his  pants   she  never  would  have  known   what  he  had 


88 


OUK    TREASURE    CHEST. 


been  doing.  It  was  fortunate  for  the  little  boy  that  his 
sister  could  sew,  or  he  would  have  been  "up  for  repairs" 
a  little  longer.  Boys,  when  they  have  done  wrong,  never 
want  to  have  it  known,  but  children,  remember  one  thing, 
"be  sure  your  sins  will  find  you   out." 


^ke  ©pmien  ©f  Mrs.  Jf igMragaL 


^eE^tsyy 


%HERE  was  a  pretty  Nightingale, 


Perched  high   upon   a  tree ; 
And   close  beside   him   sat  his  mate, 
As   sweet  as   sweet  could    be. 

The   same   old  love   song  now  he   sang, 
Which  first  he   used  to   sing. 

With  whistles,   trill,    warble  and   chirp 
He  made  the   night   air  ring. 


1  Twas   often  his  most   charming  notes 
And  all  was  hushed  and  still, 

His  mate  came   nestling  to  his  side 
And   thus   declared   her  will : 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  89 

*'I  think  my  dearest,    sweetest  mate 
If  only  you  think  best, 
This  year  we'll  simply  sing  around 
And  will  not  build  a  nest. 

How  nice   'twill  be   on   Summer  nights, 

To  listen  to   your  song, 
The  heat  will  not  be  so  intense 

Nor  night  seem  half  so  long. 

Last  year  if   I  remember  right, 

We   built  in   yonder  tree, 
And   when   I   sat  upon   the   nest 

You  did  not  sing  to  me. 

You   seemed   right  glad  to   build  a  nest, 

And   worked  'till  you   were  sore, 
But   when   you   saw  those   speckled   eggs 

Then   you   would   sing  no   more." 

This  building  nests   and  laying   eggs 

May  all   so   sweet   appear, 
What   Mrs.   Nightingale  likes   best 

Is   courting  all  the  year. 

Poor   Nightingale   then   hung  his   head 

As   to   bemoan   his   fate ; 
Then    with   a  sweeter  lovelier  song 

He   molihed  his   mate. 


90  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


^he  ©Id  W©maEL  wk©  Erred 

in   a  § 


u 


iMl ifflmjm  HAT  a  funny  looking  picture  this  is  !     It  looks  like 
f^W^W/S     the   "old  woman  who  lived   in   a   shoe,   she  had  so 
/$^$£*M    many    children    she    didn't    know    what    to    do." 
1$&3      Perhaps  the  old  woman  was  obliged  to  go  out,  and  left 
her  children  all  home  in  the  shoe,  and  they  promised  to 
be  good ;    but  from  all  appearances  the  old  lady  is  very  much 
displeased    about    something,   for    she    is    chasing    after    them 
with  a   "cat-o'-nine  tails,   or    something    else  very  much  like 
it.     What  mother  wouldn't  be  nearly  crazy  if  she  had  twenty- 
five   children   to  look  after,  and  they  didn't  mind  her. 

As  we  look  at  the  picture  we  see  only  three  that  are 
really  good  and  have  stayed  in  the  house.  There  is  so  much 
confusion  that  even  the  old  cat  is  surprised  as  she  stands 
on  top  of  the  shoe,  and  thinks  she  had  better  keep  out  of 
the   old  woman's    way. 

There   was   an   old  woman   who  lived  in  Japan, 
And  to   make   her   Japs  good  she  used   the   rattan ; 
If  she  would  let  them  alone,  and  be  more  kind, 
I  think  those   Japs   would  be  sure  to  mind. 


92  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


I^ke  Jtfe:aageM.e. 


■HAT  a  cage  full  of  monkeys  we  have  here,  and 
how  the  children  enjoy  looking  at  them.  The 
picture  looks  very  much  like  the  monkeys  we 
see  in  Central  Park.  Did  you  ever  watch  a  monkey, 
and  see  how  cunning  and  quick  he  is  in  his  movements  % 
They  always  seem  to  enjoy  themselves  so  much,  jumping 
from  one  place  to  another,  and  scratching  each  others  heads. 
If  you  look  at  the  top  of  the  picture,  you  will  see  one 
monkey  lying  down,  separating  his  hairs  as  though  he  was 
looking  for  something.  They  are  very  full  of  mischief  and 
will  destroy  a  great  deal  if  not  closely  watched.  Some  have 
beautiful  fur,  and  fur  hunters  are  very  anxious  to  kill 
them  simply  for  their  skins.  They  resemble  mankind,  and 
in  many  respects  they  try  to  imitate  men. 

A  story  is  told  of  a  sailor  whose  vessel  was  wrecked,  and 
he  was  the  only  survivor.  After  his  rescue,  while  walking 
along  the  beach  one  day,  he  found  a  package.  He  thought 
it  might  be  something  good  to  eat,  so  he  hastily  picked  it 
up,  opened  the  package,  and  to  his  disappointment  he  found 
it  contained  only  a  number  of  red  flannel  night  caps.  He 
walked   on    'til   he    came    to    a    wood,    and    feeling    tired   and 


94  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

sleepy,  lie  thought  he  would  lie  down  and  take  a  nap.  So 
putting  one  of  the  caps  on  his  head  he  was  soon  in  dream- 
land. He  did  not  sleep  long  before  he  was  awakened  by  a 
noise  and  looking  around  he  saw  a  dozen  or  more  monkeys 
in  the  trees  with  the  flannel  caps  on  their  heads.  This 
rather  provoked  the  sailor ;  so  he  took  off  his  own  cap 
threw  it  at  the  monkeys,  and  as  soon  as  they  saw  this, 
they  took  off  theirs  and  threw  them  at  the    sailor. 

Be  Plea^amt. 

HEN   little   ones   worry, 

Their   parents  are   sorry, 
And   all   who   are  near  them  look   sad ; 

But  when  they  are  good, 

And  smile  as  they  should, 
Their  friends   are   contented  and  glad. 

How  much  better  it  is  to  be  cheerful  and  sing, 
Than  to  deserve  to  be  called  a  cross  little  thing ! 


All  work  and  no  play  makes  Jack  a  dull  boy  ; 
All  play  and  no  work  makes  Jack  a  mere  toy. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


95 


^ke  Masterpiece. 


SCULPTOR  worked  upon  a  polished  stone; 

And  tears  dropped  on  the  marble  as  he  wrought; 
It  was  for  one  he  dare  not  call  his  own, 

Whose  life  was  woven  with  his  dearest  thought. 

He  loved  her  as  an  angel  from  the  sky 

Sent  down,  like  Beatrice,  to  guide  his  hand ; 

A  being  fashioned  by  divinity  ; 

As  messenger  from  earth  to  spirit-land. 

The  figure  had  an  angel's  folded  wings; 

The  features  showed  the  sweet  familiar  face 
Of  her  who  had  made  Heaven  of  earthly  things, 

And  underneath  the  simple  lettering:    "Grace." 

With  these  sad  words  that  pierced  his  very  heart ; 

"  Life  was  an  aspiration" ;  nothing  won  ; 
Alas !   had  she  but  known  the  nobler  part 

She  had  been  playing,   ere  her  life  was  done. 

Had  she  but  seen  the  soul  that  caught  its  lire ; 

From  thought  of    her ;  the    hand    that,    spurred 
by  love, 
Wrought  out  ennobling  fancy  or  desire 

In  shapes  immortal,  as  though  planned  above. 

He  carved  her  words,  and  underneath  it  wrote, 
"Her  life  was  inspiration" ;  and  his  name; 

And  then  the  sculptor's  hand  death  kindly  smote, 
And  left  his  masterpiece  to  endless  fame. 


90  OUR    TREASURE    CIIEST. 

^he  Eagles'   ©©mpam<Mi. 

,HE  EAGLE  is  called  the  king  of  birds.  He  prefers 
to  rob  other  birds  of  their  food  rather  than  hunt 
for  himself.  He  flies  not  only  higher  than  other 
birds,  but  also  with  the  greatest  rapidity.  Their  nests 
are  built  on  lofty  crags,  and  lasts  them  for  years.  They  are 
rarely  seen  in  the  United  States.  It  has  been  said  they  will 
carry  off  children,  and  in  looking  at  the  picture  on  the 
opposite  page,  you  may  wonder  why  the  little  eagles  have  a 
child  in  their  nest. 

Let  me  tell  you  what  happened  to  little  Mamie.  Eagles 
had  been  seen  around  her  home  many  days,  but  Mamie's 
parents  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  watch  their  little  one  so 
closely.  When  the  family  gathered  around  the  table  for  their 
noon  meal  there  was  a  vacant  chair,  and  little  Mamie  was  the 
absent  one.  Search  was  made  immediately,  and  every  place 
thought  of  was  carefully  looked  into.  Night  came  on  and 
Mamie  was  not  found.  The  father,  early  the  next  morning, 
went  to  a  place  where  he  thought  some  eagles  had  built 
their  nests,  and  standing  on  the  edge  of  a  crag,  looking 
down,  he  saw  his  child  in  the  nest  many  feet  below. 

How  frightened  the  father  was,  for  he  thought  he  would 
never  be  able  to  get  his  child,  and  she  would  be  eaten  up  by 


98  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

eagles.  Getting  a  rope  he  tied  it  around  a  rock,  and  letting 
himself  down  he  was  soon  by  her  side.  She  looked  so  happy 
as  she  lay  in  the  nest  patting  the  little  eagles,  little  realizing 
the  danger  surrounding  her.  As  the  father  grasped  his  child 
she  clung  tightly  to  him  and  was  brought  safely  to  the  top 
of  the  crag  above.  How  that  little  child  trusted  her  father, 
feeling  safe  in  his  arms,  and  how  rejoiced  she  was  when 
received  in  her  home.  With  the  same  trust  we  should  place 
ourselves  in  our  Heavenly  Father's  care,  knowing  we  are 
"safe   in  the  arms  of  Jesus." 

s—g)  -1    >  -w  «p   oz—z 

"A  W©2?d  Mil j  @p©kea." 

NE  day,  when  two  boys  were  playing  together,  they 
saw  a  poor  sick  dog  lying  under  a  tree.  "I'll  hit 
him!"  said  one  of  them,  taking  up  a  stone  to 
0^  throw  at  him.  As  he  raised  his  arm  a  little  girl  put 
her  hand  upon  it.  "Tom,"  she  said,  "would  you  be  so 
mean  as  to  hit  a  dog  who  is  too  sick  to  bite  you?"  Tom 
prided  himself  on  his  bravery.  He  did  not  think  what  a 
cowardly  act  it  was  to  do  so  mean  a  thing  as  that.  It 
is   for  brave  boys  to   defend  helpless   creatures. 

Many  years   after  that  the  two   friends,    who    had    grown 
to  be  men,    were   talking  together  about  their  youthful  sports 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  99 

and  pleasures.  "As  I  think  my  life  over,"  said  Tom,  "there 
is  one  incident  that  I  often  recall.  It  had  a  great  influence 
on  me."  "  WTiat  was  that?"  asked  his  friend.  "I  wonder 
if  it  was  what  little  Mary  did?"  "That  is  the  very  thing," 
said  Tom.  "  She  asked  if  I  could  be  so  mean  as  to  throw 
.a  stone  at  a  dog  who  was  too  sick  to  bite  me.  I  have 
never  been  tempted  to  do  a  mean  action  but  that  has  come 
to  me.  It  is  wonderful  how  much  good  those  words  did." 
This  story  is  true.  I  heard  one  of  the  two  friends  tell 
it,  and  I  thought  it  might  encourage  some  one  to  be  as 
brave  as  little  Mary  was  when  she  stopped  the  big  boy  from 
<loing   wrong. 


ke  Little  B©y. 


^@*r 


v-'V/^^^  EE  me ;   I  am   a  little  boy 
t^^^lfe!         Who   loves  to  go  to  school ; 
fe!^^^  And  though   I  am   not  very    old, 
lfe/^<2£  I'll  prove   I   am   no    fool; 


&££ 


For  I  can   count  one,  two,  three,  four, 
Say  one  and   two  make  three  ; 

Take   one   away   and   two    remain, 
As   you   may   plainly   see. 

And  better  still,  I  learn  that  God 
Made  all  things    that  I  see; 

He  made  the  earth,  he  made  the    sky, 
And   he  made   you   and  me. 


100  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

Kept  in. 

n  OW  MANY  little  boys  and  girls  know  just  what 
fl~WMl  ^  *s  ^°  ^e  kept  ^n  scno°l  to  do  examples  during 
Wi^r^  recess,  or  at  noon-time.  It  is  a  great  trial  to  "be 
RJ^^eprived  0f  the  pleasure  of  playing  with  other  children, 
and  what  makes  it  worse  is,  those  examples  must  be  done 
before  Bertie  can  go  home.  Poor  Bert.  He  was  out  late  last 
night  playing  on  the  street  with  some  boys,  when  he  should 
have  been  in  the  house  studying  his  lessons  for  to-morrow. 
But  then  he  thought  he  would  make  up  for  it  by  getting 
up  early  in  the  morning,  and  studying  before  the  bell  rang 
for  school.  But  here  he  was  mistaken.  He  slept  so  late 
that  there  was  scarcely  time  to  get  his  breakfast  and  get  to 
school  in  time.  Soon  his  class  was  called  up  to  the  desk, 
and  Bert  was  the  only  one  that  had  an  imperfect  mark. 
He  seems  to  be  in  deep  thought  as  he  sits  there  biting  on 
his  pencil.  He  sees  the  boys  outside  playing  bat  and  ball ; 
that  only  worries  him,  and  makes  matters  a  good  deal 
worse.  After  this,  I  think  Bert  will  remember  the  old 
saying,  "never  put  off  till  to-morrow  what  you  should  do 
to-day."' 


KEPT    IK. 


102 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


ke   Deserted  ©Mid. 


But  how   often  we   read   of    mothers    taking 


)ON'T  you  feel  sorry  for  this  little  baby  that  is  left 
all  alone  on  somebody's  stoop?  What  cruel 
Z^*  mother  could  have  taken  her  little  one,  that  God 
gave  her,  and  wrapping  it  up,  left  it  alone  in  the 
world,  not  carina:  whether  it  would  be  found  and  taken 
care   of   or  not 

their  little  babe  and  leaving  it  on  the  stoop  of  some  institu- 
tion. Our  picture  shows  us  how  some  little  ones  are 
treated.  Babes  found  in  this  way  are  always  taken  to  some 
institution  and  cared  for  by  the  Matron,  and  oftentimes 
.  have  better  care  than  their  parents  can  give  them.  Some- 
times the  name  is  written  on  a  piece  of  paper,  and  pinned 
to  their  clothing,  and  we  read  of  mothers  leaving  their 
children  in  this  way,  and  hiding  behind  something,  watch 
and  wait  till  they  see  it  taken  in.  The  little  ones  are; 
given  a  home  until  they  are  ten  or  twelve  years  old,  then 
some  mother  comes  who  wants  a  little  girl  to  help  her  do 
housework,  and  she  takes  one,  and  oftentimes  adopts  her  as 
her  own.  How  thoughtful  little  boys  and  girls  should  be  wha 
have  parents  and  pleasant  homes. 


THE    DESERTED    CHILD. 


104  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


E©st  Milly-. 


--^^LAREiS"CE  and  Milly  started  from  their  home  one 
/&^^U  afternoon  in  Winter  to  visit  their  Auntie.  It  was 
Kv^v  quite  a  journey  across  the  Alps,  but  as  the  day 
:iW*  was  fine,  although  cold,  their  mamma  thought  they 
-could  reach  their  Auntie's  long  before  night  set  in.  They 
had  a  pet  dog  called  Carlo  who  always  went  with  them. 
Carlo  was  a  shepherd's  dog  and  thought  the  children  were 
not  safe  unless  he  was  along.  The  mother,  too,  felt  safe 
when  she  saw  the  three  start  off,  well  wrapped  up  to  pro- 
tect them  from  the  cold  winds  that  blow  across  the  moun- 
tain's path,  but  they  had  not  gone  very  far  before  a  snow 
storm  set  in.  The  children  hurried  along,  but  the  snow  was 
falling  so  thick  and  fast  that  soon  they  were  unable  to  see 
the  foot  path.  Carlo  was  faithful  to  his  charge,  and  seem- 
ing to  know  that  night  was  coming  on,  and  the  children 
worn  out  with  the  tramp,  began  to  howl  as  though  he  was 
calling  for  help.  Poor  Milly  was  numb  with  the  cold  and 
at  last  gave  up,  choosing  the  snow  for  her  bed.  She  was 
not  long  conscious,  for  she  was  soon  sleeping  the  sleep  of 
death.  Carlo  kept  his  place  close  beside  her,  and  soon  his 
howls   brought  some   travelers  to   the   spot ;    there    they  found 


106  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

the  children,  Clarence  almost  frozen  to  death  and  Milly  dead. 
Carlo  was  as  faithful  to  his  charge  as  "Jack  Robinson"  was 
to   his.      Let  me  tell  you  about  him. 

Jack  lived  in  New  Jersey,  and  thought  a  great  deal  of  a 

little    girl    named    Gussie    E .      He    was    Gussie's    constant 

companion  and  seemed  to  feel  she  was  under  his  care.  One 
day  a  man  came  to  the  house  for  some  butter.  Jack  knew 
the  man  was  a  stranger,  and  had  no  right  to  touch  the  little 
girl,  so  he  kept  his  eye  on  him.  Gussie  stood  waiting  for 
the  wagon  to  drive  up  to  take  her  to  the  orchard,  and  the 
man  thought  he  would  go  along.  As  soon  as  the  carriage 
came  the  men  took  hold  of  Gussie's  hand  to  help  her  in, 
but  no  sooner  did  he  take  it  than  Jack  jumped  at  him  and 
showed  his  teeth.  As  the  carriage  drove  off,  Jack  followed 
closely  behind,  never  leaving  the  wagon  till  it  brought  Gussie 
back  to  the  house. 

.(*    G>     6) 


T 


HE  fisher  who   draws  in  his  net  too   soon, 

Won't  have  any  fish  to  sell; 
The   child  who   shuts  up  his  book  to  soon, 

Won't  learn  any  lessons   well. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  10Z 


Mttle  £Ta©k  and  Wim  @©at. 

' '  One,  two,  three, 
The  bumble  bee, 
And   away  she  goes," 

ANG  little   Jack  as   lie   ran  around  the  corner  of  the 
-,  v^^k  house   with   his  goat.      It  was  a  fine  little  goat   and 


loved  Jack,  and  Jack  loved  the  goat  and  was  very 
kind  to  her.  lie  would  harness  her  to  a  little  cart 
^  and  she  would  draw  him  everywhere  he  wanted  to  go. 
Jack  had  a  little  barn,  as  he  called  it,  made  of  a  large 
dry-goods  box,  for  the  goat,  and  every  night  Nancy  slept 
there.  In  the  morning,  when  Jack  would  go  to  let  her  out, 
she  seemed  to  know  his  step  when  she  heard  him  coming 
and   would   answer  to  his   call. 

But  one  morning  when  Jack  went  to  open  the  door  he 
did  not  hear  her  loving  call,  and  as  he  looked  in,  there  she  lay 
flat  on  her  side  and  paid  no  attention  to  him.  "Oh,  dear," 
he  cried,   "I'm   afraid   Nancy   is   dead!     What  shall   I   do?" 

Then  a  bright  thought  came  to  him.  "I  can  pray,"  he 
said;    and  kneeling  down  by   Nancy's   side,   he  repeated, 

"  Now   I  lay   me   down  to   sleep, 
I  pray  the  Lord   my  soul   to   keep," 

for  that   was  the   only   prayer  he  knew. 

His  kind  father  heard  his  little  boy,  and  some  medicine 
soon  made  Nancy  well  again.  Jack  insisted  that  his  prayer 
helped  to  save   the   goat. 


108 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


Miak  Twiec. 


UR  boy  Freddy,  whose  portrait  is  opposite,  is  in  mis- 
chief. It  is  a  rainy  day,  and  he  cannot  have  any 
fun  out  of  doors  with  an  umbrella  over  his  head, 
fW^so  he  has  kicked  off  one  shoe,  and  has  found  a  way  to 
amuse  himself  in  doors.  By  and  by,  when  he  wants 
his  shoe,  and  forgets  where  he  left  it,  he  will  have  a  long 
hunt  for  it.  He  has  found  Iii3  way  into  a  sort  of  store-room 
where  his  father  has  put  away  a  number  of  things,  which  are 
not  of  use  just  now ;  and  has  brought  with  him  a  hammer, 
nails,  a  chisel,  a  gimlet,  and  a  hat.  I  hope  this  is  not  his 
f ather"1  s  best  hat ;  because  it  seems  as  if  it  would  be  the 
worst  before  Freddy  is  done  with  it.  By  looking  at  the 
picture  you  will  see  that  Freddy  has  chipped  the  chest  with 
the  chisel,  has  bored  holes  with  the  gimlet,  has  driven  nails, 
and  is  now  at  work  on  the  hat.  Perhaps  he  means  to  make 
it  into  a  watering-pot,  or  a  pepper  box ;  any  way,  he  is 
spoiling  it,  and  when  he  thinks  what  he  has  done,  he  will 
be  sorry ;  for  Freddy  is  not  a  bad  boy,  only  he  does  not 
stop  to  think.  A  good  many  people,  old  as  well  as  young, 
do  not  think  until  after  the  damage  is  done,  and  cannot  be 
repaired.  A  good  motto  for  boys  and  girls  is:  "Be  sure  you 
.are  right,   then  go   ahead." 


THINK    TWICE. 


110  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

JANET'S  home  was  in  the  country  near  the  seashore 


jff|f|PiJP  an(l  every  day  she  used  to  go  down  by  the  water 
^OT5^8"  an(l  play  in  the  sand.  Very  few  little  girls 
fy  enjoyed  this  sport  more  thaD  Janet.  It  was  quiet 
there,  and  nothing  disturbed  her  save  the  voice  of  a  sea-gull 
occasionally.  She  would  dig  big  holes  in  the  sand  with  her 
shovel,  and  when  she  was  ready  to  return  home,  she  never 
forgot  to  bring  mamma  a  kettle  full  of  sand  to  scour  the 
kitchen  tins.  How  thoughtful  some  little  children  are,  not 
only  of  mamma,  but  of  their  surroundings.  Janet  had  been 
taught  that  God  gave  her  everything  and  1hat  He  gave  his 
only  Son  to  die  for  her  that  she  might  live.  She  loved 
Jesus  and  felt  she  was  one  of  his  little  ones.  Going  to  the 
beach  one  day,  this  thought  came  in  her  mind — that  God 
was  all  love.  Tired  of  digging  holes  in  the  sand,  she  turned 
around,  seeing  a  stick  picked  it  up  and  wrote  in  large  letters 
on  the  sand,  "God  is  love."  She  knew  his  love  was 
everlasting,  and  she  wanted  those  words  to  last  forever — 
covering  it  over  with  something  she  found  on  the  beach  she 
left  it  and  ran  home.  How  much  there  is  in  that  word 
—  love.      The   waves   could  not  wash  it  away,   it    was   too    far 


112  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

from  the  shore,  the  rains  could  not  destroy  it,  for  it  was 
protected.  Let  us  be  as  careful  of  God's  love  as  Janet  was 
of  her  text. 

HAT  a  bright  little  creature  a  mouse  is.  How  sly 
and  cunning  are  his  ways.  He  takes  good  care 
not  to  be  seen  by  anyone.  How  soft  his  fur 
'$$«  and  light  his  tread.  Did  }tou  ever  see  white  mice? 
They  are  about  the  size  of  a  gray  mouse,  only  the  fur  is 
white  and  are  often  found  in  the  hay  fields.  Mice  are  very 
full  of  mischief  and  can  make  a  good  deal  of  trouble.  In 
the  picture  are  two  mice,  drinking  milk.  Mrs.  Pussy  has 
surely  gone  out  for  a  walk,  and  Mrs.  Mouse  has  made  up 
her  mind  to  improve  every  opportunity  during  her  absence. 
It  seems  to  me  they  do  all  their  mischief  at  night,  when  it 
is  dark,  or  when  the  house  is  still  and  they  feel  sure  no 
one   is  near. 

The  mice  are  in  their  holes, 
And  there  they  hide  by   day, 

But  when  it's  still  at  night 
They  all  come  out  to  play. 


THE    MISCHIEVOUS    MICE. 


114  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

They  climb  upon  the  shelves 
And  taste   of  all  they  please, 

They  drink  the  milk  and   cream 
And  eat  the  bread  and  cheese. 

But  when  they  hear    the   cat 
At  once  they  stop  their  fun  ; 

In  fright  they   seek  their  holes 
As  fast  as  they  can  run. 


HAT   does   Satan  pay   you   for    swearing?"    asked  a 
A.   man   of  a   swearing  boy. 

' '  Nothing, ' '  was  the  answer. 
"Well,"  said  the  man,  "you  work  cheap.  To 
lay  off  the  character  of  a  gentleman,  to  give  so  much  pain 
to  your  friends  and  all  civil  folks,  to  wound  your  conscience 
and  risk  your  soul,  and  all  for  nothing,  you  certainly  do 
work  cheap — very  cheap  indeed." 


^TT     BABE  in  a    house   is   a    well-spring  of    pleasure,    a  mes- 
senger of    peace   and  love,    a  resting-place   for    innocence 
on  earth,;  a  link  between  angels  and  men. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  115 

]B©tk  (Hides. 

SOFTER  one  of  the  noted  London  infidels  had  con- 
cluded one  of  his  infidel  lectures  in  a  village  in 
the  North  of  England,  he  challenged  those  present 
to  discussion.  Who  should  accept  the  challenge 
but  an  old,  bent  woman,  in  most  antiquated  attire,  who  went 
up  to  the  lecturer  and  said  : 

"Sir,    I  have  a  question  to  put  to  you." 

"Well,   my  good  woman,   what  is  it?" 

"Ten  years  ago,"  she  said,  "I  was  left  a  widow,  with 
■eight  children  utterly  unprovided  for,  and  nothing  to  call 
my  own  but  this  Bible.  By  its  direction,  and  looking  to 
God  for  strength,  I  have  been  enabled  to  feed  myself  and 
family.  I  am  now  tottering  to  the  grave ;  but  I  am  perfectly 
happy,  because  I  look  forward  to  a  life  of  immortality  with 
Jesus  in  heaven.  That's  what  my  religion  has  done  for  me. 
What  has   your  way   of  thinking  done  for  you?" 

"Well,  my  good  lady,"  rejoined  the  lecturer,  "I  don't 
want  to   disturb   your   comfort ;    but " 

"Oli?  that's  not  the  question,"  interposed  the  woman; 
"  keep  to  the  point,  sir.  What  has  your  way  of  thinking 
•done  for  you?" 


116  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

The  infidel  endeavored  to  shirk  the  matter  again ;  the 
feeling  of  the  meeting  found  vent  in  uproarious  applause, 
and  the  skeptic  lecturer  had  to  go  away  discomfitted  by  an. 
old   Christain   woman. 

ke  Beap  aad  the  (§riOL 

)ID  you  ever  hear  of  a  bear  killing  himself  %  That  is 
certainly  what  the  bear  in  the  picture  has  done. 
I  wouldn't  wonder  if  he  had  been  doing  some 
mischief  and  the  old  farmer  has  laid  a  trap  for  him. 
Many  years  ago  there  was  a  man  who  came  from 
Germany,  and  after  he  landed  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic 
he  was  unable  to  find  any  of  his  friends.  He  concluded  at 
last  to  build  a  house  for  himself  somewhere,  and  perhaps  he 
would  after  a  while  come  across  some  one  he  knew.  So 
taking  his  ax  he  cut  down  tree  after  tree,  'til  he  had  quite  a 
large  place  cleared.  Of  the  trees  he  had  cut  down,  he  made 
a  log-house,  and  had  a  real  good  comfortable  home.  No 
doubt  he  was  lonely  there  in  the  woods  but  he  was  always 
busy,  so  the  days  passed  quickly.  He  had  a  nice  little 
garden,  and  quite  a  good  deal  of  broom-corn ;  of  this  he 
wanted  to  make  a  broom  to  sweep  the  dirt  out  of  his  house. 
He    was    miles    away    from    village    or   neighbor,    and    quite 


THE    BEAR    AND    THE    GUN. 


118  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

unconscious  of  the  fact  that  he  had  an  enemy  in  the  woods. 
Going  out  one  morning  to  his  cornfield  he  saw  a  number  of" 
tracks  in  the  ground  that  looked  like  those  of  an  animal. 
Then  he  discovered  that  some  of  his  melons  were  gone,  so 
he  concluded  he  would  watch  for  whoever  it  might  be.  In 
day  time  he  never  spied  a  soul,  so  he  thought  he  would  watch, 
at  night.  He  did  not  watch  long  before  he  saw  a  bear  come  out 
of  the  woods  and  walk  right  over  to  the  corn-field.  How  could 
he  kill  him,  he  thought.  If  I  shoot  at  him  and  miss,  perhaps 
he  will  turn  on  me  and  eat  me  up  ;  so  he  concluded  he  would 
try  a  new  way  of  shooting.  Driving  some  stakes  in  the  ground, 
he  tied  a  rope  to  the  stakes,  and  on  the  rope  he  tied  a  loaded 
gun  with  the  trigger  tied  to  the  rope,  so  that  if  the  rope  was 
touched  the  gun  would  go  off  of  itself.  At  night  the  bear 
walked  out  of  the  woods  right  over  to  where  the  gun  was. 
tied.  He  was  so  anxious  to  get  a  meal  of  corn,  he  could 
not  wait  to  go  around,  but  made  up  his  mind  to  jump  the 
rope.  Children,  have  you  ever  heard  the  old  saying — "the- 
farthest  way  round  is  the  surest  way  home."  This  would  have- 
worked  well  in  this  case  if  the  bear  had  taken  more  time  and 
gone  around  instead  of  jumping  the  rope,  for  no  sooner  did 
the  bear  touch  the  rope  than  the  trigger  was  pulled  and  the 
bear  fell  dead.  This  relieved  the  anxiety  of  the  farmer  and 
for  a  while  he  felt  safe. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  lit) 

Children,  as  we  journey  through  life,  let  lis  take  good 
care  to  get  rid  of  our  enemies.  There  is  one  laying  traps  for 
us  continually,  and  if  we  are  not  careful  to  be  on  the  watch 
we  will  fall  into  his  clutches. 


lie  "Way  t©  fee  Happy. 

/  pW-l\WOW  pleasant  it  is,  at  the  end  of  the   day, 
I'^ip^f)        ~^°  follies  to  have  to  repent; — 
(%-^J/kpk  T°  ren,ecfc  on  the  past,  and  be  able  to  say 
That  my  time  has  been  properly  spent. 


When  I've  done  all  my  work  with  patience  and  care^ 
And  been  good,  and  obliging,  and  kind, 

I  lie  on  my  pillow,  and  sleep  away  there, 
With  a  happy   and   peaceable   mind. 

But,  instead   of  all  this,  if  it  must  be   confessed 

That   I  careless   and  idle   have  been, 
I  lie   down   as   usual  to  go  to   my  rest, 

But  feel  discontented    within. 

Then  as  I  don't  like  all  the  trouble  I've  hadr 

In  future   I'  11  try  to  prevent  it ; 
For   I   never  am   naughty  without  being  sad,, 

Or  good  without  being  contented. 


120  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


Jfow  fw®  Mttle  B©j"^  wei®e 


THINK  one  glance  at  this  picture  will  tell  you 
just  what  these  two  boys  have  been  doing,  and 
what  they  received  in  return.  Satan  always  finds 
something  for  idle  hands  to  do,  and  unless  we  are 
very  careful  we  are  sure  to  get  into  trouble.  Satan, 
you  know,  is  never  satisfied  unless  he  is  laying  snares  for 
innocent  ones  to  fall  into.  The  boys  had  been  told  often 
enough  not  to  go  near  the  bee  hive,  but  they  thought  they 
-could  have  a  good  deal  of  sport  tossing  the  honey  bees ;  so 
they  cut  from  the  trees  a  long  stick,  thinking  the  longer 
the  stick,  the  farther  they  would  be  from  the  bees.  They 
•did  not  seem  to  think  that  the  bees  had  wings  and  could 
fly  any  distance,  and  they  at  last  would  be  the  sufferers. 
'There  they  sat  and  teased  those  bees,  and  seemed  to  enjoy 
it,  but  suddenly  there  was  a  scream  and  both  boys  seemed 
to  feel  worse  than  the  honey  bees.  They  were  glad  enough 
to  drop  their  stick  and  run  away,  making  up  their  minds 
that  after  this  they  would  listen  to  the  advice  of  others, 
and  not  let  Satan  bring  them  into  all   sorts  of    mischief. 


THE    BOYS    AND    THE    HONEY    BEES. 


182  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

¥he  Y«ia.-fehfial  florists. 

'RS.    NELSON    had    a    lovely    liome    in    the  country, 
surrounded  on  every  side   by   beautiful   flowers.      A 
^J^§£^  small  creek  flowed  past  one  side  of    the    Jiouse,    and 


c^jl  on  the  other  side  was  a  beautiful  fountain  always 
sending  up  its  light  sprays  of  water,  watering  the 
lawn,  which  looked  like  a  green  velvet  carpet.  Birds  built 
their  nests  in  the  trees,  bird  houses  were  placed  on  the 
limbs,  and  every  morning  their  notes  were  heard  quite  a 
distance.  Mrs.  Nelson  took  great  delight  in  training  her 
vines.  There  were  the  Clematis,  running  along  the  piazza,  in 
full  bloom;  then  in  the  evening  the  "Moon  Plant"  opened 
her  flowers,  and  the  odor  of  the  plants  was  lovely.  These 
attractions  made  her  home  so  beautiful  outside.  Then  the 
inside  had  just  as  many  attractions,  only  of  a  different 
nature.  Over  the  mantel  hung  the  cuckoo  clock,  and  every 
time  the  hour  would  strike  the  cuckoo  would  fly  out  and 
give  a  few  notes.  The  aquarium  looked  so  pretty  as  the 
fish  would  swim  around  trying  to  catch  the  little  particles 
of  food  in  the  water.  But  of  these  attractions  there  were 
two  that  made  home  life  beautiful.  These  were  Mrs.  Nel- 
son's   two    daughters,   Flora    and    Bessie.      They    were    orna- 


124  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

ments  for  any  house,  and  Mrs.  Nelson  felt  proud  of  them 
as  she  saw  them  go  about  their  daily  duties,  cheerfully 
doing  whatever  they  could  to  relieve  their  mother's  care. 
The  summer  months  passed  quickly  and  when  Jack  Frost 
came  Mrs.  Nelson  and  the  little  girls  were  busy  among 
the  flowers.  Each  one  had  her  favorite.  Flora  was  very 
fond  of  the  Heliotrope  and  Bessie  of  the  Fushia,  and  Mrs. 
Nelson  loved  to  train  the  Ivy  vines  around  the  windows. 
The  Passion  flower  was  the  favorite,  and  was  always  admired 
by  every  one  who  chanced  to  see  it  in  bloom.  But  the 
jolly  time  came  for  the  girls  when  Mamma  took  the  plants 
up.  There  was  the  Ivy  to  train  on  the  ladder  and  the 
Fushia  to  tie  against  a  stick,  and  when  the  plants  were 
brought  in  the  house  and  placed  in  the  bay  window  the 
room  looked  like  a  hot  house.  How  man y  things  there  are 
to  make  a  home  attractive;  not  only  flowers,  but  a  lovely  lit- 
tle child  can  do  more  to  make  a  home  beautiful  than  all  the 
ornaments  and  flowers  we  can  get,  and  the  most  beautiful 
attractions  are  goodness,  obedience,  and  amiableness.  Let 
these  be  flowers  in  each  little  ones  lives. 

7TYHAT   children   are,    neighborhoods    are.      What    neighbor- 
hoods   are,    communities    are, — states,    empires,     worlds ! 
They  are  the  elements  of  Hereafter  made  visible. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  125 

"TOKN"  G.  SAXE  sent  the  following  epigram  in  reply  to  an 
invitation  to  address  a  temperance  convention: 

"You  have  heard    of  the  snake  in  the  grass,   my  boy, 
Of  the  terrible  snake  in  the  grass ; 
But  now  you  must  know, 
Man's  deadliest    foe 
Is  a  snake  of  a  different  class. 

Alas! 
"lis  the  venomous  snake  in  the  glass  I" 

O^USY  had  fixed  some  ginger  and  sweetened  water  for 
^    drink   one  hot   day,    and  carried   some  to  her  father. 

"It  is   too   strong,"    he   said,    after  trying  it. 

Oil  trotted  the  little  one,  and  soon  came  back   again. 

"  Try  it  now,  papa,"  she  said,  "I've  unstrengthened  it 
with  water." 

'7T  N   old   Quaker  gentleman  was    once    asked    how    he    man- 
aged   to    keep     down    his    temper.        "My    friend,'-*    he 
said,    "if  thee   always   speaks   in   a  low  voice,  thee   will  never 
be  angry." 

Try  the   old   Quaker's   rule. 

T^ITERE    is    no    word    in   the    English    language    so    full    of 
thrilling  and  intense  meaning  as   the  word    "HOME." 


12G  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

Kitty  and  "jfest." 

GREAT  cry  came  from  the  nursery.  It  was  Kitty's 
cry.  "What  is  the  matter  with  Kitty?"  thought 
her  mother,  who  was  lifting  down  a  tureen  in  the 
china  closet.  Presently  Kitty  came  down  stairs 
sobbing.  "I  am  afraid  Kitty  has  somebody  with  her," 
thought  her  mother.  Kitty  pattered  along  until  she  put 
her  little  curly  head  in  the  china  closet.  Her  mother  saw 
she  was  not  alone ;  Ill-humor  was  with  her.  Her  mother  was 
sorry.  "What  is  the  matter,  little  daughter?"  she  asked. 
Sarah  had  called  her  from  playing  with  Noah's  ark, 
and  said  she  must  have  her  face  washed.  "For  papa 
to  kiss,"    said  mother. 

"I  hate  Must"  said  Kitty.  "Why  so?"  asked  her 
mother.  "Must  always  makes  me  cross,"  said  Kitty. 
"Must  only  wants  to  make  Kitty  a  good  clean  little  child," 
said  mother.  "If  you  mind  Must,  you  would  love  him 
dearly.  Instead  of  that  you  take  Ill-humor,  who  always 
quarrels  with  Must,  and  then  there  are  sorry  times.  How 
nicely  Must  has  washed  Kitty's  face."  "Is  it  nice  for  papa?" 
asked  Kitty  going  on  tiptoe  before  the  glass.  "  Very," 
answered  mother;  "and  who  curled  Kitty's  hair?"  "Must  did 
that,"  replied  the  little  girl,  "but  he  did  that  an  hour  ago." 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  U7 

Tlie  entry  door  opened,  and  papa's  step  was  heard  com- 
ing in.  "There's  my  papa,"  said  she,  skipping  into  the 
hall,  and  leaving  Ill-humor  far  behind.  "My  dear  little 
daughter,"  said  papa,  lifting  her  up  over  his  head,  and  then 
giving  her  a  couple  of  kisses  on  her  two  rosy  cheeks.  "Do 
I  look  nice,  papa 2"  she  asked.  "I  think  you  do,"  he  said, 
looking  at  her  hair  and  mouth  and  hands.  "I  think  you 
do."  "  Must  does  know,  I  believe  truly,"  thought  Kitty; 
if  1  hadn't  minded  him,  I  should  not  have  been  fit  for  papa's 
kisses,  after  eating  aunty's  orange.  Oh,  I  wish  I  could 
always  mind  Must,  and  not  get  cross  as  I  do,"  and  a  little 
sorry  shadow  came  over  her  heart. 

After  dinner  papa  looked  at  his  watch,  and  jumping  up, 
said  he  must  go.  "  Does  Must  make  you,  papa,  as  it  does 
me?"  Papa  said  yes.  "Don't  you  think  Must  is  hard, 
sometimes,  making  us  when  we  don't  want  to,  papa?"  Papa 
answered  that  Must  is  one  of  our  best  friends,  for  it  only 
urges  us  to  do  what  we  ought  to  do.  Perhaps  we  might 
forget,  or  put  off ;  but  Must  says  Do  now !  Should  we  not 
be  very  thankful  for  such  a  friend?  Kitty  asked  if  God  gave 
us  Must.  And  papa  rernied,  Yes,  and  that  he  thought  we 
should  therefore   love   to  mind  him. 

AVhen  papa  had  gone,  Kitty  trudged  up-stairs.  She 
wanted  to  get  her  black  dolly.     Sarah  met  her  at  the  nursery 


128  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

door,  shaking  her  head,  pointing  her  to  go  back.  Kitty 
whispered  she  wanted  her  black  dolly.  But  Sarah  told  her 
she  must  go  away  now,  as  baby  had  just  got  asleep,  and 
Kitty's  black  dolly  was  in  the  crib.  No,  no,  she  must  not 
try  to  get  it.  Kitty  grew  red.  Ill-humor  was  ready  to  join 
her.  Then  she  swallowed  the  cry  that  came  up  in  her 
throat,  and  said  to  herself  that  she  would  try  to  mind  Must. 
At  this  Ill-humor  ran  away,  and  little  Joy  crept  up  by  her 
side,  and  put  her  arms  lovingly  about  the  child.  They  went 
down  stairs  together ;  and  Kitty  took  one  of  her  picture- 
books,  and  sat  down  on  the  rug  at  her  mother's  feet. 
Little   Joy  was  with  her  all  the   time. 


You're  starting  to-day  on  life's  journey, 
Along  on  the  highway  of  life; 

You'll  meet  with  a  thousand  temptations, 
Each  city  with  evil  is  rife. 

This  world  is  a  stage  of  excitement; 

There's  danger  wherever  you  go; 
But  if  you  are  tempted  in  weakness, 

Have  courage,   my  friend,   to  say  NO. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  12& 

The   syren' s   sweet   song  may   allure   yon ; 

Beware   of  her  cnnning  and    art; 
Whenever  you  see  her  approaching, 

Be  guarded  and  haste  to  depart. 

The  bright  ruby  wine  may  be   offered — 

No  matter  how  tempting  it  be, 
From  poisons  that  sting  like  an  adder, 

My  friend,    have  the   courage  to   flee. 

The  gambling-saloons   are   before  you, 

Their  lights,  how  they  dance  to  and  fro, 

If  you   should  be  tempted  to    enter, 
Think  twice,  even  thrice,  ere  you  go. 

In   courage   alone   lies   your   safety 

When  you  the  long  journey    begin, 
And  a  trust  in  our  Heavenly   Father 

Will  keep  you   unspotted  from  sin. 

Temptations   will  go   on  increasing, 

As   streams   from  a  rivulet  flow, 
But   if  you  are  true  to  your  manhood, 

Have  the   courage,    my  friend,    to   say   NO. 


130  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

FpieB-d^— 3Bia.i  B.©t  Equals. 

ERE  we  have  a  picture  of  a  donkey.  Don't  you 
think  a  donkey  is  a  funny  kind  of  friend  ?  What 
long  ears  he  has,  but  he  has  a  kind  look  and  is 
Oood  and  gentle  to  his  friend  Kittie.  She  has  had 
pleasant  rides  on  his  back,  and  every  summer  Kittie  would 
take  her  donkey  to  the  sea  shore  and  pass  away  many 
pleasant  hours.  He  was  a  great  favorite  among  the  children, 
and  early  in  the  morning  the  beach  would  be  crowded  with 
little  ones,  each  hoping  to  get  a  ride  before  noon.  Some- 
times he  would  walk  so  far  in  the  water  that  the  waves 
would  wash  over  his  back  and  the  child  on  his  back  would 
"be  the  sufferer.  Donkeys  are  useful  animals,  and  are  very 
strong.  Travelers  use  them  in  the  Alps  for  climbing  the 
mountains  and  carrying  their  baggage.  In  France  they  are 
used  among  the  j)easants,  harnessed  before  a  little  cart,  and 
oftentimes  they  are  compelled  to  draw  very  heavy  loads. 
Sometimes  they  are  very  stubborn  and  won't  go  when  you 
want  them  to,  and  will  stand  and  kick  with  all  their  might 
and  open  their  mouth  and  make  a  horrible  noise,  that  can 
he  heard  quite  a  distance.  Kittie  had  a  cart  she  used  to 
.harness  her    donkey   to,    and    sometimes  they    would    go    ou1 


132  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

early  in  the  morning  to  gather  ferns  and  pretty  leaves.  She 
had  trained  him  to  get  down  on  his  front  knees  when  she 
wanted  to  get  on  his  back,  and  he  conld  perform  several 
kinds  of  tricks,  such  as  walking  on  his  hind  legs,  nodding 
his  head  and  dancing  to  music.  All  these  tricks  amused  the 
little  ones  at  the  beach.  Will  I  tell  you  what  happened  to 
Kittie1  s  friend  ? 

One  day  she  was  out  riding,  and  was  going  to  cross  a 
railroad  track.  He  stumbled  and  fell,  throwing  Kittie  out  of 
the  reach  of  the  passing  train  which  completely  crushed  the 
poor  donkey.  Kittie  felt  badly  about  her  loss,  still  she  knew 
she  had  other  friends  that  she  valued  more  highly  than  she 
did  the  donkey.  The  donkey  had  been  a  faithful  friend  to 
her,  but  yet  she  did  not  consider  him  her  friend  in  the 
same  light  she  did  her  companions. 

J£n.  Evening  at  H©me. 

^\J!jj||S  UPPER  was  all  over,  dishes  cleared  away,  everything 
n  k3||  in  order,  and  the  family  had  gathered  in  the  sitting 
mM^S  room  to  pass  a  pleasant  evening.  The  first  thing 
X02  the  children  asked  for  was  a  story  from  Grandma. 
There  she  sits  in  the  arm-chair,  with  a  white  cap  on  her 
head.      What  a  pleasant   face   she  has.      She  has  four  grand- 


134  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

children,  and  every  evening  it  is  their  delight  to  gather 
around  the  dear  old  lady  and  hear  the  stories  about  the 
Indians.  She  tells  them  how  they  used  to  come  to  her  home 
when  she  was  a  little  girl,  and  try  to  sell  some  fancy  baskets 
of  their  own  make.  She  remembers,  too,  about  a  squaw  who 
used  to  come  for  milk,  always  bringing  her  papoose  with  her. 
Do  you  know  what  a  papoose  is  \  It  is  a  little  baby.  How 
they  did  listen  to  her  story  as  she  told  them  of  how  the 
squaws  would  take  a  piece  of  bark  from  the  trees,  strap  their 
little  one  on  it,  and  in  this  way  carry  the  papoose  on  their 
backs ;  and  if  they  were  working  in  the  fields,  they  would 
take  the  little  one,  strap  it  on  a  piece  of  bark  and  hang  it  in 
a  tree.     The  gentle  breeze  would  rock  the  child  to  sleep. 

One  evening  after  Grandma  had  told  her  story,  Willie, 
who  is  quite  an  artist,  asked  Grandma  to  sit  still  till  he  coald 
take  her  picture.  Did  you  ever  sit  for  a  picture  %  Then 
you  know  how  funny  Grandma  feels  as  she  sits  there  with, 
folded  hands,  trying  to  look  her  prettiest.  But  do  you  know 
there  is  one  face  missing  in  that  picture?  That  is  Pajja's. 
Yes,  Papa  is  absent  and  his  face  has  been  missing  four  years. 
Many  times  have  they  spoken  of  his  death  and  of  the  acci- 
dent that  befell  him  while  he  was  working  in  the  machine- 
shop.  He  enjoyed  his  home  so  much,  because  when  ha 
entered  it  after  his   days   work,    he   was    always   greeted  with. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  135 

smiles  and  kisses  from  the  children  and  loved  ones.  What 
makes  a  home  happy  \  Is  it  not  pleasant  faces  and  kind- 
words  %  What  makes  a  home  miserable  \  Is  it  not  quarrels, 
and  harsh  words  \  In  making  our  home,  let  ns  make  one 
that  will  make  every  one  happy  around  us.  Then  we  will  be 
sure  to  be  happy  ourselves. 


j^t^2^H 


0 


UR  life  is  a  school-time ;   and,  till  that  shall  end, 
With   our  Father  in  heaven  for  Teacher  and  Friend, 
O !   let  us   well  perform   each   task  that  is  given, 
Till  our  time   of    probation  is   ended  in  heaven. 


2t^> — w — ^b. 


IT     MAN  who  had   opened   a  liquor-saloon  was  about  to  put- 
up  his  sign,    and  requested    his  neighbor's    advice,  what 
he   should  put  on   it.     The    man   replied,     "I    advise    you    to. 
write  on  it,   'Beggars  made  here.'  " 


T 


RUTII   crushed   to   earth   shall   rise   again ; 

The  eternal  years  of  God  are  hers  ; 
But  Error,  wounded,  writhes  with  pain,, 

And  dies  among  her  worshippers. 


136  OUK    TREASURE    CHEST. 


Ati  Aftep-S§@h©®l   ]Re~repie. 

ERE  sits  little  Grace  under  the  apple  tree.  Her 
books  and  slate  she  has  thrown  down  and  she  looks 

y®*  tired  and  worried.  She  is  almost  home ;  but 
thought  she  would  rest  a  little  while  until  her  school- 
mates  passed  by.  Gracie  did  not  have  a  pleasant  day  in 
school ;  her  lessons  were  not  perfect  and  everything  seemed 
to  go  wrong  with  her,  and  she  felt  discouraged  as  she  sat 
down  under  the  tree  and  began  to  wonder  what  the  next 
day  would  bring  forth.  Her  school-mates  loved  her  very 
much,  and  if  at  any  time  there  was  any  trouble  Gracie  was 
always  the  one  to  settle  the  dispute.  In  her  class  she  was 
either  first  or  second,  and  her  class-mates  were  always 
anxious  to  help  her  to  the  utmost  of  their  power.  She 
never  would  allow  them  to  prompt  her,  for  that  she  con- 
sidered wrong,  and  would  fail  before  she  would  allow  the 
others   to   assist  her  in   any   way. 

Why  was  she  so  anxious  about  the  morrow?  She  knew 
vacation  was  drawing  near,  and  only  a  few  days  remained 
to  tell  the  story  whether  she  would  be  promoted  or  not. 
As  she  left  school  that  afternoon,  the  teacher  came  to  her 
and  said   "Gracie,   what  is  it  that  troubles   you  so?"    Gracie 


AN    AFTEE-SCHQOL    BEVEBIE. 


138  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

made  no  reply  but  passed  on,  firmly  resolving  to  do  her 
best  the  next  day.  Just  before  she  reached  her  home  she 
saw  something  lying  on  the  ground.  She  stooped  down,  and 
picking  it  up  discovered  it  was  a  little  horse  shoe,  with  the 
two  words  "good  luck"  on  it.  How  this  made  Grade's 
heart  leap  for  joy,  for  now  it  seemed  to  her  that  the  mor- 
row would  be  a  joyful  day  to  her  and  all  would  end  well. 
Gracie  studied  hard  that  night,  and  when  she  closed  her 
eyes  to  sleep  she  did  not  feel  so  worried. 

How  many  little  girls  know  what  it  is  to  be  disappoint- 
ed. How  anxious  they  are  when  examination  day  comes 
and  to  know  who  will  carry  off  the  first  prize.  Gracie  was 
not  the  brightest  scholar  in  her  class.  There  was  one  ahead 
of  her,  a  little  boy  only  a  year  younger.  Grace  feared  the 
little  boy  would  take  the  prize,  and  she,  being  older  would 
feel  ashamed  of  herself.  Examination  day  came,  bright  and 
lovely,  and  every  scholar  was  wild  with  excitement.  The 
school-room  was  crowded  with  visitors,  each  mother  anxious 
that  her  child  should  do  the  best.  The  spelling  class  was 
called  to  take  their  stand.  The  class  numbered  twenty, 
and  all  failed  on  one  word  but  two,  and  those  two 
were  Grace  and  her  little  friend.  Now  came  the  time  when 
Grace  or  the  boy  would  take  the  prize.  It  was  a  hard 
pull,  and  after  spelling  word  after    word,    the    judge    said    it 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  139s 

could  easily  be  decided  which  should  have  the  prize,  but  h& 
would  leave  it  entirely  to  the  judgment  of  the  visitors. 
Imagine  Grace,  how  astonished  she  was  when  it  was  decided 
that  both  should  have  the  prize.  Now  this  pleased  Grace 
more  than  if    she  alone  had  received  it. 

Both  scholars  went  home  that  day  happy,  and  Grace 
attributed  her  good  luck  to  the  finding  of  the  horse  shoe ; 
but  it  was  in  reality  due  to  the  careful  preparation  and  hard 
study  which  she  had  given  during  the  preceding  weeks. 


"Willie  and  His  Pets. 

OME  little  boys  and  girls  may  wonder  what  strange 
looking  animals  Willie  has.  The  one  on  his  shoul- 
i^^  der  looks  something  like  a  little  pig  and  the  one 
in  his  hand  looks  like  a  little  rabbit.  Willie's  pets 
are  guinea  pigs,  and  they  seem  very  fond  of  him.  What 
do  you  suppose  Willie  does  with  his  pets?  They  are  not 
trained  to  perform  as  monkeys  do  for  organ-grinders,  and  it 
does  not  seem  that  he  is  going  out  for  a  walk  with  them 
for    he    has   a  strap    around    his  neck,    and   fast  to  the  strap 


OUE    TREASURE    CHEST.  141 

is  a  box.  I  wonder  what  the  box  is  for.  He  carries 
something  to  eat  in  that  for  the  guinea  pigs.  But  what  does 
he  do  with  the  guinea  pigs  %  Well,  he  does  what  a  good 
many  boys  do  for  their  mother.  He  sells  them  and  gives 
the  money  to  her,  for  she  is  poor.  Sometimes  he  gets  a 
good  price  for  one,  and  then  how  pleased  he  is  when  he 
gives  her  all  his  earnings.  Did  you  ever  see  a  guinea  pig  ? 
They  have  a  short  neck  and  legs,  four  toes  before  and  three 
behind.  Their  fur  is  quite  long,  shiny  and  coarse ;  the 
color  is  black  and  white  with  a  faint  streak  of  yellow. 
They  live  on  carrots,  parsley,  apples,  and  other  fruits  and 
are  very  fond  of  tea  leaves.  Like  hares  they  sleep  with 
their  eyae  half  open.  Their  flesh  is  not  eaten  and  the  fur 
is  useless.  The  only  reason  they  are  thought  much  of  is 
on  account  of  their  harmless  disposition  as  well  as  beauty. 
They  never  attempt  to  scratch  or  bite  and  are  pleasant  pets 
for  children.  The  tortoise  shell  ones  are  the  most  highly 
prized. 


kIIE  moments  fly,  a  minute's  gone; 
The  minutes  fly,  an  hour  is  run ; 
The  day  is  fled,  the  night  is  here ; 
Thus  flies  a  week,  a  month,  a  year. 


112  OUK    TREASURE    CHEST. 


?lie  Mpstliia^a 


|^0  you  see  what  happy  faces  these  children  have? 
Let  me  tell  you  why  they  look  so  happy.  These 
jr|3yC^  children  are  brothers  and  sister,  and  their  mamma 
gave  them  each  a  dozen  eggs,  and  told  them  they 
«^f  might  have  the  little  chickens  that  would  hatch  from 
them.  Now  Jim,  the  one  that  is  sitting  down  with  a  skull 
cap  on,  put  his  eggs  under  the  first  hen  that  wanted 
to    set.  Jim     felt     proud    of    his    hen    and    dozen    eggs, 

and  every  day  would  run  to  see  if  any  of  the  eggs 
were  hatched.  One  day  he  went  and  toftk  a  sly 
peep  at  the  eggs  while  the  old  hen  was  off  her 
nest,  and  he  counted  only  six.  Where  had  the  other  eggs 
gone  to.  At  first  he  thought  they  were  hatched  out  and 
the  chickens  had  walked  off.  But  where  are  the  shells  he 
thought.  He  soon  made  up  his  mind  something  was  wrong. 
Poor  Jim  felt  very  sad,  but  did  not  tell  his  brother  nor 
sister.  He  felt  sure,  though,  about  the  other  six.  He  waited 
patiently  for  his  little  chicks  to  put  in  their  appearance, 
but  each  day  brought  its  disappointment  to  poor  Jim.  His 
hen  at  last  gave  up  all  hope  of  raising  a  family,  so  she 
walked  off    one  day,    and    gave    up    her    nest.      Then    came 


144  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

Jack's  turn.  Poor  Jack's  eggs  met  almost  the  same  fate. 
One  day  when  he  went  to  see  if  any  chicks  were  around 
he  saw  a  big  rat  carrying  off  an  egg,  and  as  it  was  impos- 
sible for  Jack  to  catch  the  rat,  he  made  way  with  every 
one.  But  little  Lulu  had  better  luck  than  her  brothers. 
Her  hen  was  an  old  one  that  had  been  in  the  family  for 
years,  and  was  quite  a  pet.  With  the  children  she  would 
play  tag  and  fly  up  on  their  shoulders  and  would  do  many 
cunning  things.  Whenever  Lulu  would  go  and  look  at  her 
eggs  to  see  if  any  chicks  were  hatched,  the  hen  would  stand 
upon  her  nest  and  let  Lulu   see   just  what  was  there. 

Now  her  brothers  were  as  anxious  about  her  chickens  as 
they  had  been  about  their  own,  and  oftentimes  while  Lulu 
was  fast  asleep  early  in  the  morning  Jack  and  Jim  were  by 
the  hen.  One  morning  the  boys  went  out  to  see  if  they 
could  find  any  chickens,  and  there  on  top  of  the  hen's  back 
sat  a  little  chicken  not  more  than  an  hour  old.  They  ran 
in  great  haste  to  tell  Lulu,  and  she  was  so  delighted  that 
she  ran  out  to  see  her  ' '  firstlings ' '  without  stopping  to  dress 
herself.  How  delighted  they  all  were ;  but  among  the  breed 
of  chickens  was  a  rooster.  Now,  when  the  rooster  was  old 
enough  to  crow,  he  used  to  get  up  on  Lulu's  window  sill 
every  morning  and  crow  'till  he  would  wake  her  up.  Lulu 
never  overslept  herself,  and  was  always  in  time  for  breakfast. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  145 


UN  for  your  life  little  mousey  or  you  will  be  caught, 
for  some  one  is  after  you.  Poor  Puss  had  been 
hunting  in  the  fields  all  day  for  something  to  eat. 
She  had  quite  a  family  of  little  kittens,  and  as  they 
were  too  young  to  hunt  for  their  own  living,  puss  was 
obliged  to  do  it  for  them.  She  was  very  proud  if  she 
could  catch  a  mouse  to  bring  home,  for  the  kittens  seemed 
to  enjoy  that  for  their  meal  more  than  anything  else.  There 
was  a  room  in  an  old  house  where  puss  had  spent  much 
time,  and  in  that  same  room  many  a  mouse  had  been 
chased  by  a  cat.  There  were  a  good  many  hiding  places 
in  the  room  for  the  mice,  but  one  place  in  particular  they 
seemed  to  feel  safer ;  that  was  in  an  old  chest.  For  years 
they  had  lived  there  and  many  a  family  had  been  reared. 
Puss  had  walked  so  many  times  around  that  old  chest,  only 
wishing  she  might  get  inside  and  have  the  contents.  But  as 
she  saw  the  lid  was  tight  down,  and  the  only  opening  she 
could  find  was  a  little  hole  in  one  corner  not  larger  than  a 
copper,  she  gave  up  all  hope  of  ever  getting  it.  So  many 
times  she  would  feel  sure  she  had  a  mouse,  but  just  as 
poor  puss   would  get  at  the   corner   of  the   chest  she   met  her 


il 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  14? 

disappointment — the  mouse  had  disappeared.  One  day  up  in 
that  old  room  puss  watched  faithfully.  Suddenly  a  mouse 
came  slyly  around  the  corner  of  the  chest,  and  was  quietly 
walking  about,  when  puss  made  a  spring  and  jumped  for 
the  mouse.  In  the  boot  rushed  the  mouse  and  puss  after  it. 
She  felt  sure  she  had  her  prize,  but  as  she  darted  in  the 
boot  the  mouse  rushed  through  a  hole  in  the  toe.  But 
what  happened  to  poor  puss.  Her  head  was  fast,  and  took  so 
much  time  to  get  it  loose  that  mousy  had  reached  her  home 
in  safety  before  puss  was  able  to  get  her  head  out. 

Here  and  there  and  everywhere, 
Up  the  loft,  and  down  the  stair, 
Past  the  barrel,  past  the  broom, 
Now  in  shadow,  now  in  gloom  ; 
Till  at  last  in  John's  big  boot 
Mousey  finds  a  place  to  suit. 
In   she  creeps   from  puss   to   hide, 
Pussy' s  mouth  is  open  wide ; 
Quick,  oh   quick   she   follows   after, 
Mousy  nearly  bursts  with  laughter, 
For  a  hole   yawns   in  the   toe, 
And  out  of  it  does  mousey  go ; 
And  while  pussy  sticks  there  fast. 
Little  mouse  escapes  at  last. 


l-k> 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


W©©<i  f©p  Winter  Mpe. 

^  EE   the   farmer   drawing   home 

Wood  for  winter  fire  ; 
How  he  will  pile   on  the   logs 

Higher  yet  and   higher, 
So  the   household  may   enjoy 

Pleasant  warmth   and  light ; 
We  may   see   them   round  the  hearth 

On   a  stormv  night- 


Mother  with   her  knitting   work, 

Annie   with   her  doll, 
And  the  kind,    good   Margaret, 

Making   Rob   a  ball ; 
Robbie   watching  every  stitch 

With   the  brightest   smile, 
And  the   father   telling  tales, 

Merry  tales,    the   while. 

Happy   is   the   household  where 

God  the   Lord   is   known, 
Where   the   parents,  children,  all 

Are   his   loved   and  own. 
Earthly   honors,  wisdom,  wealth 

Ne'er  to   them  may   come, 
But  the  blessing    of  the  Lord 

Rests  on  such  a  home. 


Choice 


RECITATIONS 


FOR 


Qur  Little  Qnes 


150 


OUE    TBEASUBE    U1IEST. 


Jiatp©(i"a@t©p^   JLd&jpei 


SADIES  AND   GENTS :     We    give  to   you 
H  A   warm   and  kindly  greeting, 

i^®l|g{     And  hope   you   will  be  fully   paid 
M  For  the   labor   of  this   meeting. 


We   don't   expect  to  do  great  things, 
But  then  we'  11  try  to  please  you ; 

Our  object  is   not  to    instruct, 
But  only  to   amuse   you. 

For  life  is  full   enough   of   wrhat 

Is   tangible   and  real  ; 
And   sometimes  greater  good  is  got 

In  what  is  but  ideal. 


Be  pleased  to  pass  our  blunders  by, 
And  only  note   successes, 

And  if  you   cannot  give   applause. 
Pray   do   not  give  us  hisses. 


0U1L    TREASURE    CHEST. 


151 


Before  (ghMstmas. 


H!    What   shall   I   do   with   Papa? 

Fve  talked  till   enough   has    been    said. 
§)  Fve  talked   and   Fve  preached  to   the  man; 
And,    really,    it's  tired  my   head. 


He  looks  into   all   open   drawers, 
And  rummages   ev'ry  high   shelf. 

I  scold   him,   but   what  is  the    use? 
He    isn't   ashamed    of    himself. 

There's  never  a   day  but  he   asks  : 

"Pet,    what   are   you    making  for  me?" 
There  isn't  a  thing  in   the   house 
That   he   isn't  anxious   to  see. 


Mamma  says  he   does   it  iu   sport; 

Tr,  must  be   his   nature   to  tease. 
My   pardon   I   think  he   should   beg; 

But  I  can't  get  him  down  on  his  knees. 


152  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

For  six  weeks,    and  more,    I  have  tried 

To  finish  a  beautiful  pair 
Of    slippers  I'm  making  for  him; 

But  they  are  a  trouble  and  care. 

And   I'm  making  the  loveliest  rack, 
To  keep  all  his  newspapers  in ; 

But   when   I  am   all   settled    down, 
And  my  work  I  fairly   begin, 

I  hear  his  voice  somewhere,  down-stairs. 

He  asks:   "What's  become   of    the   child?" 
And  if    I  don't  turn  my   door  key 

He  comes  in  and  sets  me  so  wild ! 

He  goes  to  the  bank   ev'ry    day; 

But  is  home  at  a  little   past  three. 
Of    course,   for  the  rest  of  the  day, 

From  all  kinds   of    work  he   is  free. 

And  then  he  goes  staring  around, 
To  that  he  was  always  inclined ; 

And  Mamma,  to  tell  the  plain  truth, 

Don't  know  how  to  teach  him  to  mind. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  153 

She   speaks  in  the  sweetest   of    tones ; 

And  bids  him  to  be   quiet  and  read. 
She  says:   "Now  don't  bother  the   child," 

But  he  laughs  and  says:  "Oh!  indeed!" 

Sometimes  ne  pretends  that  he  reads ; 

But   over  his   paper  he    peeps. 
I   think  he  is  always    awake ; 

For  no  one  can  tell  when  he  sleeps 

Well,  a  man  will  never  give  heed 

To   a  woman's   wholesome   advice. 
If    I  were  the  owner  of  one, 

I  never  would  speak  to  him    twice. 

And   Urn   very  sure   I   would   cure 

All  his  prying,    bothering  ways ; 
Or  he'd  go  to  the  bank  and  stay 

Until   after  the   holidays. 

For  my   mother   I'm   making  a   scarf — 

An   elegant,  cardinal   red. 
I   work  at    it  all  my   spare   time ; 

But   never  a  word   has  she   said. 


154  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

To  show  that  she  even  suspects 
I   am   making  something  for  her. 

She  glides  in    and    cnt  of    the   room ; 
I   sit  where   I  am ;  I   don' t  stir. 

Why   should   I  when   she's   so   polite? 

She  never  is   looking  at  me, 
Or  troubling  herself   to  find  out 

How  much   of  my   work  she   can   see. 

O,    Papa !   do  shut  up   your  eyes ! 

But,  then,  I   don' t   know   as   you   can ; 
And   Mamma   declares,    with  a   smile, 

That  you  are  a  wide-awake  man. 

But  you   are   so   kind  and   so   g<  >od ; 

And  I  have  been    talking  for  fun. 
Why,    you're  the  best  man   I  have   seen, 
The   very  best  under  the   sun. 

The  things  I  am   making  for    you  ! 

You'  11  have   them   at  Christmas ;   you'  11  see> 
I  haven't  the  faintest  idea 

What  you  will  be  giving  to   me. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  155 

And   I  am  not  going  to   ask  ; 

I  know   they'll  be   lovely   and   new. 
And   oil !   they'll  be  precious  to  me, 

For  they'll  be  exactly  like   yon. 


\         r, 


•Dp? 

m 


A  ]2iegs©ia  m  JL  ©ream. 

'J<\§X   years  gone   by   I  had  a   child, 


§ 


KSKWith   ros 


I  thought   her  very   fair, 
pJI'With  rosy   cheeks   and   dimpled  chin, 
)M?y  Brown   eves  and  golden   hair. 

r 

She   was   a  wayward,    laughing   child, 
So   full   of  careless  glee. 

I   often   mourned   to   think   how   sad 
Her   future   lot  might  be. 


But  grandma   said,    "  Though    faulty,    she 

No   penalty   incurs ; 
You'll    never    find  a   woman's   head 

On   shoulders   young  as   hers." 


150  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

One   night   I   had   a   fearful   dream; 

The  memory  haunts  me  yet ; 
A   dream   so   fraught  with   agony 

I  never  can   forget. 

Methought  in   answer  to  my   call, 
She   came   with  measured  tread ; 

When,  lo,  upon  her   shoulders  fair 
Was   poised   a  woman's   head? 

I   saw  the   scanty  grizzled  locks, 
The  features   stern   and  bold, 

Instead  of  brown   eyes,   dimpled   chin, 
And  floating  locks  of  gold. 

A   harsh   voice   from  the   thin  lips   said, 
' '  You   were   displeased  with  me, 

So   I've   exchanged  my  giddy   head 
For  a  steady  one,   you  see." 

' '  O   woe  is  me !     What  have   I   done  I ' ' 

I   cried   in   my   despair ; 
"Lost  are  my   darlings   childish   ways, 

Brown  eyes   and  golden   hair  ! ' ' 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  15? 

' '  Wake,  mamma,    wake  ! "    a   sweet  voice   called, 

fc '  Oh,   tell  me,  mamma,  why 
You   toss   and  moan   so   in   your   sleep  I 
It   makes  me   want  to   cry." 

I   opened   wide  my  wondering  eyes 

With  rapture   to  behold 
Again  the  brown  eyes,  dimpled  chin 

And  floating   curls   of    gold. 

I  caught  my  darling  to  my  heart, 

I  kissed  her  o'er  and  o'er; 
Restored  to  me  as  from  the  dead, 

I  could  not  ask  for  more. 

Be  patient,  mothers,  every   day, 

Although    with  mischief  rife 
Are  the   fair-haired,  brightly ed   little  ones, 

So   full    of    love   and  life." 


158  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


ITTLE   friends,    when   you   are   at    play  on  the   street, 

Half  frantic   with   frolic,  laughter   and   noise, 

Don't  ever  forget  to  bow   when   you   meet — 

When  you  meet  an  old  man  with  gray  hairs,  my 
bovs. 


Is   the   aged  man   feeble,    decrepit   and   lame  ? 

Does   he   lean   on   his   staff  with   unsteady  poise  ? 
Never   mock   at   his   sorrow,  but   stop   in  your  game 

And  bow  to   the  man  with  gray  hairs,  my  boys. 

If  he  sometimes  halts  in  his  tottering  pace 
To   witness   the  flow   of   your  innocent  joys, 

Don't  jostle  the   old  man   out   of  his   place, 

But  greet  his   gray   locks  with  a  bow,  my  boys. 

Remember,    the  years   are   only  a  few 

Since  he,  on  the  street  with  his  games  and  toys, 
Was   healthy   and   happy   and    active   like   you ; 

And  bright   as   the   sun   were  his  curls,  my  boys. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  159 

But   age   lias  furrowed  the  cheek  that   was   fair ; 

While    sorrows    have    broken    his     once      mellow 
voice ; 

And   now  there   is   many   a  silvery  hair 

On  the  head  where  the  curls  were  so  bright,    my 
boys. 

The   Spring-day   of  youth   is   a  gem  ;    it  is   gold. 

But   Time   all  its  glorious  luster   destroys ; 

And,  gay  little  friends,    if  you   live  to   be  old, 

Your   steps    will    be   slow,    your   locks  gray,    my 
boys. 

So,  when   you   are   blithely  at  play  on   the  street. 

Half  frantic   with   frolic   and  laughter  and  noise, 

Remember  to   pleasantly   bow   when   you  meet — 

A V lien   you  meet   an    old    man    with    gray   hairs, 
mv  boys. 


ID 


E   live   in    deeds,    not   years;  in   thoughts,  not   breaths. 
In    feelings,  not   in   figures   on   a  dial. 
We   should   count  time  by   heart-throbs.      He  most   lives 
Who   thinks  most,   feels   the   noblest,    acts   the   best. 


160 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


rw© 


WO   boys   came   into   the   world   one   day ; 

And   each   gave  joy  to  a  mother's  heart. 
The   one  was   sad,    and  the  other  gay, 

And  both   were  fitted   to  play   their  part. 
One   was   sober,    quiet,    and   sad ; 
But  quick  and  bright   was  the   other  lad. 


One   went   out   with   his  flag  unfurled 

To   meet  the  breeze ;    and   was   swiftly   borne 

To   the   Friendly   Isles,    and   there   gayly   whirled 
Over   the   breakers   from   night   till   morn ; 

Young  and  careless  and  full   of  joy, 

All  hearts  made  room   for   the   lovely  boy. 


His   handsome  face   and  his  merry  glance, 
His   ready  wit  and  good-natured  wiles, 

Made   even  the  distant  ones   advance 

To  bask   in   the   light  of  his   sunny  smiles. 

Ah,  he   was  flattered  and  much   caressed, 

And  many  a  glass  to  his  lips   was    pressed. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  161 

Many  a  glass  of  a  poisoned  sweet, 

Fearing  nought,  did  he   drain,    in   truth, 

That  in   slippery  places   drew   the  feet 

Of  the  friendly   and  unsuspecting  youth ; 

And  down  and   down  he  began  to    go, 

Caught   in   the   treacherous   undertow. 

The   other  boy,  of  a  quiet  turn, 

Of  awkward  manners   and   solemn   looks 

And  surly    speech,    cared  little  to   learn 
The  lessons   of   life  not  found    in  books ; 

Cross,    ill-natured,  severe  and  grim, 

Little   joy   could   be  had  with  him. 

His  friends   were   few ;    but  '  twas  all  the   same, 
What  did  he  care  for  a  smile  or  a  frown  \ 

He'd  his  way  to  make — a  decided  aim; 

And   no   one  living  could  put  him   down ; 

Lord   of  himself,  stubborn   and   proud, 

He    kept  his  place   'mid   the  jostling  crowd. 

No   heed  to  those   who  would   lead   astray, 
No  heed  to  the  siren  spell  he  gave ; 

But  went  right  on  in  an  earnest  way 

Till  he  rode  at  ease  on   the  topmost  wave ; 


162  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

And  those  who  thought  him  a  churl  began 
To  respect  and  honor  the  self-made  man. 

'  Tis  thus  that  the  children  play  their  part ; 

And  the  boys  we  love  for  their  liveliness, 
Who  hold  our  hearts  from  the  very  start, 

Seldom  if  ever  attain  success. 
Easily  tempted  they  are,  and  so 
Caught  in  life's  treacherous  undertow. 


I — g)    -^1     _—zfv^     fc  (s — l 


j^JJI'LL  tell    you  about    it,    my  darling,    for     grandma's 
explained  it  all, 
So    that    I    understand  why    Thanksgiving    always 
comes  late  in  the  fall, 
When  the  nuts    and  the    apples   are  gathered,    and 

the  work  in  the  field    is   done, 
And  the  fields,  all  reaped  and  silent,  are    asleep   in 
the   autumn   sun. 

It  is  then     that  we    praise   Our    Father  who    sends 

the  rain   and  the   dew, 
Whose  wonderful  loving  kindness  is   every  morning 

new ; 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


163 


Unless  we'd  be  heathen,  Dolly,    or  worse,   we  must 

sing  and  pray, 
And    think    about    good    things,   Dolly,     when    we 

keep   Thanksgiving  Day. 


But  I  like  it  very  much  better  when  from  church 

we   all  go  home, 
And    the    married    brothers    and     sisters,     and    the 

troups  of  cousins  come, 
And  we're  ever  so  long  at  the  table,   and  dance  and 

shout  and  play, 

In  the  merry  evening,    Dolly,  that    ends  Thanksgiv- 
ing Day. 

■I    *r 9;/-~VlS *    f 

[for  a  very  young  lecturer.] 


THINK  that  every  mother's   son, 
And  every  father's  daughter, 

Should   drink — at  least  till   twenty-one 
Just  nothing  but  cold  water. 

And   after  that  they  might   drink  tea 
But  nothing  any  stronger. 

If  all    folks   would   agree   with  me 
They'd  live  a  great  deal  longer. 


1G1  OUK    TliEASUKE    CHEST. 


^J^jjp^OME,    little  leaves,''    said  tlie  wind  one  day — 
^H-Cw/i    "Come   o'er  the  meadows   with   me  and   plav  ; 
^^^W    Put   on  your  dresses   of  red  and  gold — 
^y^        Summer   is   gone   and  the  days   grow   cold." 

Soon  as   the  leaves   heard  the  wind's  loud  call, 
Down   they  came   fluttering,    one   and   all : 
Over  the   brown   fields  they  danced   and   Hew, 
Singing  the   soft  little  songs  that   they  knew  : 

k '  Cricket,    good-by,  we1  ve  been   friends   so   long ! 
Little  brook,  sing  us  your  parting  song — 
Say   you   are   sorry  to   see   us  go  ; 
Ah,    you  will   miss  us,    right   well   we  know. 

"Dear  little  lambs,    in   your  fleecy  fold, 
Mother  will  keep   you   from   harm   and   cold ; 
Fondly   we've   watched   you   in   vale   and  glade : 
Say,    will  you   dream   of  our  loving  shade?" 

Dancing  and   whirling  the   little   leaves  went ; 
Winter  had  called  them,  and  they  were  content. 
Soon  fast  asleep  in  their  earthy  beds, 
The  snow  laid  a  coverlet  over  their  heads. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  165 


ime  EnoiiLgli, 


WO  little  squirrels,    out  in  the  sun- 
One  gathered  nuts,  the  other  had  none  ; 
"Time  enough  yet,"  his  constant  refrain, 
"Summer  is  still  just  on  the  wane.1'' 

Listen,  my   child,  while  I  tell  you  his  fate ; 

He  roused  him  at  last,  hut  he  roused  him  too  late. 

Down  fell  the  snow  from  a  pitiless  cloud. 

And  gave   little   squirrel   a   spotless  white  shroud. 

Two   little  boys   in   a  school-room  were  placed  ; 
One   always  perfect,  the  other  disgraced  ; 
"Time   enough  yet  for  learning,"    he  said, 
"  I  will  climb,  by  and  by,  from  the  foot  to  the  head." 

Listen,  my  friends  ;    their  locks  are  turned  gray  ; 

One,   as   a  governor,    sitteth  to-day ; 

The  oilier,    a  pauper,    looks  out   at  the  door 

Of  the   almshouse,    and  idles  his  days  as  of  yore. 

Two  kinds  of   people   we  meet  every   day; 
One    is   at   work,    the   other    at   play. 
Living  uncared   for,    dying  unknown, 
The   busiest  hive  hath  ever  a   drone. 


166  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


^ke  Blae  aB_d  tke  ©kpay. 


HEY  sat  together,  side  by    side, 

In  the  shade  of   an  orange  tree ; 
One  had  followed  the  flag  of    Grant, 
The  other  had  fonght  with  Lee. 

The  boy  in  blue  had  an  empty  sleeve, 
A  crutch  had  the  boy  in    gray  ; 

They  talked   of  the  long  and  weary   march, 
They  talked  of  the  bloody  fray. 

"My  chief  is  dead,"  the  Johnny  said, 
"A  leader  brave  was  he; 
And  sheathed  fore'er  at    Lexington, 
Doth  hang;  the  sword  of  Lee.1' 


*o 


"My  leader  lives," — the  boy  in  blue 
Spoke  low  and  with  a   sigh — 

"  But  all  the   country  waits  in  fear 
That  he  to-day  may  die." 

"God  bless  our  Grant!"   the  vet' ran  said, 

And  dropped  a  tear,  and  then 
In  heartfelt  tones  the  answer  came, 
For  the  rebel  said — "Amen" 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  167 

WM<ek  32/©^ed  Best. 

|fife$5  LOVE  you,   mother,"  said  little    John, 
tv^lK^I  Then,   forgetting  his  work,   his  cap  we: 

m 


went  on, 

ay 

'  And  he  was  off  to  the  garden  swing. 


And  left  her  the   water  and  wood  to  bring. 

"  I  love  you,   mother,"  said  rosy  Nell, — 
"I  love  you  better  than  tongue  can  tell;" 
Then  she  teased  and  pouted  full  half    the  day, 
Till  her  mother   rejoiced   when   she   went  to  play. 

"I  love   you,    mother,"  said  little  Fan; 

•'To  day  I'll  help  you  all  I  can: 
How  glad  I  am  school   doesn't  keep!" 
So  she  rocked  the  babe  till  it  fell   asleep  ; 

Then  stepping  softly  she  fetched  the   broom, 
And  swept  the  floor,    and  tidied  the  room  : 
Busy  and  happy   all   day   was   she, — 
Helpful   and  happy   as  a  child   could    be. 

"  1   love   you,    mother,"  again   they   said, 
Three   little   children  going  to  bed  : 
How   do   you  think  that  mother  guessed 
Which   of    them   really   loved  her  best? 


108  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


©©n't    I^et. 


& 


^ON'T  fret  if   your  neighbor  earns  more  than  you  do, 
Don't  frown   if  he  gets  the  most  trade  ; 
on't  envy   your  friend   if    he  rides  in  his  coach, 
Don't  mind  if    you're*  left  in   the   shade. 

Don't  rail  at  the   schoolboy   who  fails  in  his  task, 

Nor  envy  the  one  who  succeeds ; 
Don't  laugh  at  the  man   who  is   Poverty's   slave, 

Nor  think  the  rich   never  have   needs. 

It's  not  wisdom  to  covet  our  neighbor's  good  gifts; 

We   would   seldom   change  places,    I  ween, 
If    we  knew  all   our  neighbor's   affairs   as   our   own, 

For  things   are  not  what    they   seem. 

You   see  the   rich  merchant   enjoying  his   ride, 

And  think  he  exults   over  you ; 
You   do   not  imagine   that   he   feels   the  same, 

And   thinks   you  more   blest   of  the  two. 

You   see  people  pass   in   and   out   of  a  store, 
But  you  must  not  judge  business  thereby ; 

You  must  look  at  the  books,  at  the  way  they  "foot  up," 
Ere  you   venture  your  judgment   to  try. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  1C9 

You  don't  know  what  you  say  when  you  envy  a  man 

Either  fortune,    or  friends,    or  a  home; 
His  fortune  and  friends  may  be  only  in  name, 

And  his  home  far  less  blest  than  your  own. 

You  may  know  the  old  adage,   which  teaches  the  fact, 

That  a  skeleton  must  be  somewhere ; 
If  not  found  in   library,    kitchen,    or  hall, 

It  is  hid  in  the  closet  with  care. 

So  don't  envy  the  blest,    nor  despise  the   outcast, 
Don't  judge  by  the  things  which  you  see; 

Make  the  burdens  of    men  as  light  as  you  can, 
And  the  lighter    your  burden   will  be. 


B 


Bad  ^k©ugkta 


AD  Thought' s  a  thief  I     He  acts  his  part ; 
Creeps  through  the  window  of  the  heart; 
And,  if  he  once  his  way  can  win, 
He  lets  a  hundred  robbers  in. 


170  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


Answered  Pmjepg. 

PRAYED  for  riches  and  achieved  success. 

All  that  I  touched  turned    into  gold.     Alas! 


-j  My  cares  were  greater  and  my  peace  was  less 
When  that  wish  came  to  pass. 


I  prayed  for  glory ;  and  I  heard  my  name 
Sung  by  sweet  children  and  by  hoary  men. 

But  ah!  the  hurts,  the  hurts  that  come  with  fame 
I  was  not  happy  then. 

I  prayed  for  love,  and  had  my  soul's  desire; 

Through  quivering  heart  and  body  and  through  brain 
There  swept  the  flame  of    its  devouring  lire ; 

And  there  the  scars  remain. 

I  prayed  for  a  contented  mind.     At  length 
Great  light  upon  my  darkened  spirit  burst. 

Great  peace  fell  on  me,  also,  and  great  strength. 
Oh !  had  that  prayer  been  first ! 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


171 


W amted — A  Mmi^tep^  Wife. 


T  length  we  have   settled   a  Pastor, — 

I  am   sure   I   cannot  tell  why 
The  people  should  grow  so  restless, 

Or  candidates  grow  so  shy. 
But  after  two  years'    searching 

For  the    ' '  smartest ' '    man  in  the  land, 
In  a  fit  of  desperation 

We  took  the  nearest  at  hand. 


And  really  he  answers  nicely 

To    "fill  up   the  gap,"    you    know; 
To    "run  the  machine"    and   "bring  up  arrears,' 

And  make   things  generally  go. 
He  has   a  few   little   failings ; 

His   sermons   are   commonplace   quite  \ 
But  his   manner  is   very   charming, 

And  his   teeth   are    perfectly  white. 


And   so   of  all   the    "dear  people," 
Not   one   in   a  hundred   complains, 


172  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

For  beauty   and  grace   of  manner 
Are  so  much  better  than  brains. 

But  the  parish  have  all  concluded 
He  needs  a  partner  for  life, 

To  shine  a  gem  in  the  parlor : 
"Wanted— a  Minister's  Wife!" 

Wanted — a  perfect  lady, 

Delicate,   gentle,   refined, 
With   every  beauty   of  person, 

And   every   endowment   of  mind. 
Fitted  by  early   culture 

To  move   in   a  fashionable  life- 
Please   notice   our    advertisement : 

"Wanted— a   Minister's   Wife!" 

Wanted — a  thorough-bred   worker, 

Who    well  to  her  household   looks, 
"(Shall  we   see  our  money  wasted, 

By   extra  vagent   Irish   cooks  ? ) 
Who  cut  the  daily  expenses 

With  economy  sharp  as   a  knife, 
And   washes   and  scrubs  in  the  kitchen 

'; Wanted— a  Minister's  Wife!" 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  173 

A   "very  domestic  person," 

To  "callers"    she  must  not  be    "out;" 
It  lias  such  a  bad    appearance 

For  her  to  be  gadding  about,— 
Only  to  visit  the  parish 

Every  year  of  her  life, 
And  attend  the  funerals   and   weddings: 

"Wanted— a  Minister's   Wife?" 

To   conduct  the    "ladies'    meetings," 

The   "sewing  circle"   attend, 
And  when  we  have    "work  for  the   soldiers," 

Her  ready  assistance  to  lend ; 
To   clothe  the  destitute  children, 

Where  sorrow   and  want   are   rife, 
To  hunt  up   Sunday   School  scholars: 

"Wanted— a   Minister's   Wife!" 

Careful   to  entertain  strangers, 

Travelling  agents  and    "such;" 
Of  this  kind   of    "angel  visits" 

The   deacons  had   so  much, 
As  to  prove  a  perfect  nuisance, 

And   "hopes  these  plagues  of  their  life 


174  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

Can  soon  be  sent  to  their  parsons : 
"Wanted— a  Minister's  Wife!" 

A  perfect  pattern   of  prudence 

To  all  others,   spending  less,  » 

But  never  disgracing  the  parish 
By  looking  shabby  in  dress. 

Playing  the  organ  on   Sunday 
Would  aid  our  laudable   strife 

To  save  the  society's  money: 

"Wanted— a  Minister's  Wife!" 

And  when  we  have  found  the  person, 
We  hope,   by  working  the  two, 

To  lift  our  debt,    and  build  a  new   church- 
Then  we   shall  know  what  to   do  ; 

For  they  will  be  worn  and  weary, 
Needing  a  change  of  life, 

And  we'll  advertise — "Wanted— 
A   Minister  and  his   Wife!" 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  175 


#7€  ©kiM's  @©B-@lu^i©Ti. 

AMMA,"   lie  said,    "You  ought  to  know 
The  place.      It's  name  is  wicked,   though 
Not  China.      No.      But  if  you  fell 
Through  China  you  would  be  there !      Well. 

"Fred   said   something  very  bad, 
Named   Satan,  stayed   down  there   and  had 
Oh,    such  a  fire  to  burn  things !     You 
Just  never  mind.      It  can't  be  true. 

"Because  I've  digged  and  digged  to  see 
"Where  all  that  fire  could  ever  be, 
And  looked   and  looked   down  through   the    dark, 
And  never  saw  a  single   spark. 

"But  Heaven  is  sure;    because  if  I 
Look  up,   I  always  see  the   sky — 
Sometimes  the  gold-gates  shine   clear    through — 
And  when   you   see   a  thing,    it's   true!'" 


-e 


^_^zst?z=.^=^ 


A 


TITING  of  beauty  is  a  joy  forever: 
Its  loveliness  increases:  It  will  never 


Pass   into  nothingness. 


176  OUE    TREASURE    CHEST. 


Y©^mg  Sadies  ©f  the  Present 


^HE  fair  young  girls  of  the  present  day 
Are   warper's   dolls    indeed; 
They   cannot  stand   the   sun's   warm   rays, 
Or  knead  a  loaf  of  bread. 


They   cannot   scrub  the  kitchen   floor, 

Or  make  a  chamber  bed, 
Or  take  a  step  beyond  the   door 

For  they  are  almost  dead. 

But  if  there's  a  party  or  a  ball 
Within   some  miles   around, 

They'll  dress  in  all  their  finery, 
And  go  off  with  a  bound. 

They'll  lie  in  bed   the   whole   next  day, 

Or  stupidly   sit    down 
To  read  the  last  new   novel   which 

Has  found  its  way  to  town. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  177 

^ke  Watep  ©pimkei5^. 

yji  PASSED  a  garden  where  roses  bright 
|X/c      Were  clustering  close  to  the  lillies  white; 
ti^s^Jg     The  noonday  sun  was  ablaze  o'  erhead ; 
^J y        "We're  very  thirsty,"  the  flowers   said. 

' '  Thou  lovely  lily,  so  fair  to  see, 
Oh,   wherefore  shouldst  thou    thirsty  be? 
For  gladly  into  thy  cup  I'll  pour 
The  sparkling  wine  from  my  choicest  store!" 

The  lily  folded  her  pure  white  cup 
And  closed  each  ivory  petal  up ! 
The  rosebud  shook  in  the  breeze  her  head ; 
"We  drink  the  rain  and  the  dew,"  she  said. 

I  took  my  wine  to  the  birds  that  flew 
Around  the  bank  where  the  flowers   grew. 
They  would  not  come  of  my  glass  to  taste  ; 
The  lark  flew  up  to  the  sky  in  haste. 

The  thrush  sang  "No"  from  her  leafy  spray, 
The  robin  hopped  with  a  chirp  away ; 


178  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

The  blackbird   raised  from   the  stem  his  head ; 
"Our  drink  is  that  of  the  flowers,"   he  said. 

I  saw  a  child  on  that  summer's  day 
Amid  the  flowers  and  birds  at  play ; 
I  brought  him  wine,  but  he  answered,   "No," 
With  rosy  lips  as  he  bade   me  go. 

"I   do   not  care  for  the  ruby  wine 
While  water  fresh   from  the    stream   is  mine!" 
He   smiled  and  merrily  shook  his  head ; 
"My  drink  is  that  of  the  birds,"  he  said. 

e)  k) 

Mi^pla@ed  ©€>B.fideB.@e. 


SAT  me   down  upon  my  nest ; 
I  covered  with  my   soft,    warm    breast 

Eleven  eggs,  so  fair  and  white, 
And  knew,  or  thought  I  knew,  that  when 
A  certain  time  had  passed,   that  then 

Eleven   chicks  would  greet  my  sight. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  17S> 

Three  weeks  in  this  most  dignified 
Retirement  did  I  sit  and  bide 

My  time.      I  did  not  even  take 
The  necessary   exercise. 
From   dawn  to   dark,    sunset  or  rise, 

I  sat  there,   for  dear  duty's  sake. 

I  hardly  dared  to  eat  or  sleep, 

Lest  I  should  miss  the  first  faint  peep. 

If   ever  living  hen   did  try 
To  do  her  very  level  best 
By  eleven  eggs  in  a  nest, 

Her  utmost  duty,  then  did  I. 

I  heard  them  peck  against  the  shell ; 
I  was  more  glad  than  I  can  tell, 

So  glad  was  I  when  first  they  peeped. 
And   now  the   end   is   come,    and  now, 
I   pray  you,  let  me   tell   you  how, 

And   what  the   sad   reward   I've   reaped. 

When  first  they  left  the  nest,  my  eyes 
Were  stricken  with  a  great    surprise ; 

With   dire   dismay  my  heart  was  struck. 


180  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

They  waddled !     waddled  !     Do  you  hear  ? 
As  sure  as  I  am   standing  here, 
My  every  chicken  was  a  duck ! 

Imagine,    if  you   can,    in   part, 

The   sadness  that  weighed  down  my  heart 

When  first  this  broke  upon  my  view ; 
A  sense  of  confidence  abused, 
A  sense  of  being  most  ill-used 

Made  me   a  sad  hen   through  and  through. 

I'd  had  my   dreams  ;    how   I  would  bring 
Each   little,  feathery,    fluffy  thing 

Up  unto  henhood,  fair  and  sweet. 
And  now  what  chance  have  I?      It  fills 
My  heart  with  grief  to  see  their  bills 

And  their  ridiculous  webbed   feet. 

Hens  have  some  rights !     I  do  not  know 
That  there   is  aught  that   I  can   do ; 

But  I'm  resolved,  for  one,  that,  when 
I'm  so  imposed  upon,  I'll  dare 
To  tell  the  story  everywhere. 

I  will,   indeed,  though  but  a  hen. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


181 


JLi>  ©l©^e  ©f  ©ay. 

F  you  sit  down  at  set  of  sun 

And  count  the  acts  that  you  have  done ; 
And,   counting,   find 

One  self-denying  act;    one  word 
That  eased  the  heart  of  him  who    heard; 
One  glance  most  kind, 
That  fell  like  sunshine  where  it  went — 
Then  you  may  count  that  day  well  spent. 


But  if,   through  all  the  livelong  day, 
You've  cheered  no  heart  by  yea  or   nay; 

If  through  it  all 
You've  nothing  done  that  you  can  trace 
That  brought  the  sunshine  to  one  face; 

No  act  most  small, 
That  helped  some  soul,   and  nothing  cost — 
Then  count  that  day  as  worse  than  lost. 


A 


KINDLY  act  is  a  kernel  sown, 

That  will  grow  to  a  goodly  tree, 
Shedding  its  fruit  when  time  has  flown 
Down  the  gulf    of    Eternity. 


182 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


P<g>©i®  ©eap  ©MM! 

ICTURE  me  in  broad-brimmed  hat, 
Four  years  old  and  small  at  that, 
Out  one  sunny  afternoon 
In  the  latter  part  of  June, 
In  a  field  of  daisies. 


Bobbing  round  in  childish  glee, 
"Chasing  butterfly  and  bee, 

While  the  old  folks  in  the   shade 
Watched  as  in  and  out  I  played 
In  the  maze  of  daisies. 

I  could  see — they  were  so  tall — 
Sky  and  daisies — that  was  all. 

So  I  raised  a  wailing  cry  ; 

There  they  looked  and  there  was  I 
Lost  among  the  daisies  ! 


I  have  never  since  then  known 
What  it  is  to  be  alone 

As  I  was.      Poor  little  me ! 

In  that  wide,   green,  white-capped  sea 
All  engulfed  in   daisies. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  183 

H!   Mamma!   Mamma!   What  do  you  think?" 
Cried  out    my  merry  May, 
"As  sure  as  you  live  and  breathe  and  wink, 
It's  the  fairies,   washing  day. 

"I've  been  in  the  woods  with  Bell  and    Grace? 

And  I  know  what  I  talk  about, 
For  under  the  trees  in  every  place 

Their  clothes  were  hanging  out. 

"Tiny  breeches,   as  white  as  snow, 
Hung  on  the  stems  to  dry, 
Swinging  and  dancing,   row  on    row, 
Whenever  a  wind  goes  by. 

"Just  as   cunning  as   clothes   can  be, 

Puckered  around  the  band ; 
But  never  a  fairy   could  we    see, 
Not  even  a  little  hand. 

"But,   Mamma,   they  hung  no  aprons   there, 
Though  we  watched  and  made  no  noise. 

And   oh!     I'm.  afraid — and  it  isn't  fair — 
That  the  fairies  all  are  boys ! " 


184  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


ITaiiJHf  ]T®Ik. 


O   I  believe  in  fairy   stories?" 
Darling,  of  course   I  do  ; 
In  giants   so  tall, 
And  Titania  small, 
I  believe  in  them  all. 
Don't  you? 

"Was  there  ever  any  Red  Riding  Hood?*' 
Oh,  yes;    without  a  doubt. 
There   are  wolves  to-day, 
To  lead  you  astray. 
When  they  come  into  your  way, 
Look  out? 

"And  was  there  really  a  Cinderella, 
With  haughty  sisters?"     Why,    yes, 
I've  met  with  her  since, 
And,  though  proud  ones  may  wince, 
She'll  marry  the  Prince 
I  guess. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  185 

:'And  was  there  a  Blue  Beard?"     Yes,  my  darling, 
There  was.      But  the  beard's  turned  red. 
If  you  tread  on  his  toes 
Or  his  secrets  disclose 
In  a  minute  off  goes 
Your  head ! 

And  the  fairy-folk  will  never,  no,  never 
Refuse  to  help  you  along, 

If  you   form   an   alliance 

With  first-class  giants 

And  bid  defiance 
To  wrong. 

Love  and  Duty  are  real  twin  fairies, 
Beautiful,  good,  and  true  ; 

By  them   we'  re  attended ; 

By   them  we'  re   commended ; 

I  think  they're  just    splendid. 
Don't  you? 


186 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 


he  Eonebf  (SkpaTe  and  Effie. 


DOWN  the  street  the  soldiers  came 

With  steady,  marching  feet. 
The   "bands"    were  sending  everywhere 

Their  strains   of    music   sweet, 
My  little  Effie  went  with  me 

To  watch  the  soldiers  strew 
Bright  buds  and  blossoms  on  the  graves 

Of  their  old  comrades  true. 


One  lone,  neglected  grave  lay  bare 

Beside  the  fence  near  by. 
"Whose  is  it?"    Effie  asked  of    me. 

"  Some  stranger's  "  answered  I. 
Now  here,   now  there,  the  flowers   were  laid 

By  loving,  loyal  hands, 
In  honor  of   the  men  who  died 

At  Freedom's  loud  demands. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  187 

I  missed  my  little  one  at  last, 

And  turned  about  to  see 
If   in  the  crowd  that  gathered  near 

My  little  girl  might  be. 
Not  there !   Ah  no !   but  close  beside 

The  stranger's    grave  I  found 
The  little  figure  stooping   low, 
And  pulling  from  the  ground 

The  yellow  dandelions  which  grew 

So  free  for  all  to  find. 
She  raised  her  troubled  eyes  to  mine: 

"  Mamma,  it  wasn't  kind 
To  pile  those  flowers  all  over  there, 

And  give  the   stranger  none. 
I'm   sorry  for  this  grave,  Mamma, 

'Cause  it  is  all    alone." 

And  then  she   spread   with  little  hands, 

Above  the  grave  so  bare 
Her  golden  dandelions,  and  dressed 

The  lonely  spot  with  care, 


188  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

The   while   the   breezes   kissed  her  cheek 
And  stirred  her  curls   of    gold, 

And  down  the  leafy  avenues 
The  martial  music  rolled. 

"  There,  now,  Mamma,  the   stranger  won't 

Feel  lonely   any  more  ! ' ' 
I  clasped  my  baby  in  my  arms 

And  kissed  her  o'er  and   o'er. 
And   well   I  know  that  angels  blessed 

The   child   I  bore  away ; 
The   child  who   dressed  the  ii  stranger  V   grave 

On  Decoration  Day. 


G 


OD   is  my  friend ;  I  need  not  fear, 
For  he  is  good  and  always  near; 
And  he   will  keep  me  by  his  power 
From   day  to  day,   from  hour  to    hour. 

I  am   a  sinner,  but  I  know, 
For  God's   own  Word  has  told  me   so, 
That  Jesus   Christ  came   down  from  heaven 
To  die,   that  I  might   be  forgiven. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  1S9 

Blue. 


TITTLE  Boy  Blue,  so  the  story  goes, 

I        One  morning  in  Summer  fell  fast  asleep, 


mS^I  When  he  should  have  been,  as  every  one  knows, 


I 


3$ 


Watching  the  cows  and  sheep. 


m 


All  of  you  children  remember  what 

Came  of  the  nap  on  that  summer  morn ; 

How  the  sheep  got  into  the  meadow-lot, 
The  cows  got  into  the  corn. 

Neglecting  a  duty  is  wrong,    of  course, 

But  I've  always  felt,   if    we  could  but  know, 

That  the  matter  was  made  a  great  deal  worse 
Than  it  should  have  been  ;  and  so 

I  find,    in  my   sifting,    that  there   was   one 
More  to  blame  than  little  Boy  Blue. 

I'm  anxious  to  have  full  justice  done, 
And  so  I  know  are  you. 


190  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

The   one   to  blame   I  have  found  to  be, 
Urn   sorry  to  say  it,  Little  Bo-Peep  ; 

But  you   will  remember,  perhaps,  that  she 
Had  trouble  about  her  sheep. 

Well,   little  Bo-Peep  came  tripping  along, 

The   sheep   she  tended   were   running  at  large ; 

Little  Boy  Blue  sat  singing  a  song, 
Faithfully  minding  his   charge. 

Said  Little  Bo-Peep:  "It's  a  burning   shame 
That  you  should  sit  here  from  week  to  week. 

Just  leave  your  work,  and  we'll  play  a  game 
Of — well,  of    hide  and  seek." 

It  was  dull  work,  and  he  liked  to  play 
Better,   I'  m  sure,   than  to  eat  or    sleep ; 

He  liked  the  bloom  of   the   Summer  day  ; 
He  liked — he  liked  Bo-Peep. 

And  so,  with  many  a  laugh  and  shout, 

They  hid  from  each  other — now  here,  now  there  ; 

And  whether  the  cows  were  in  or  out 
Bo-Peep  had  never  a  care. 


OUR    TREASURE    CHEST.  191 

*'  I  will  hide  once  more,"  said  the  little  maid, 

"  You  shall  not  find  me  this  time,  I  say 
(Shut  your  eyes  up  tight."     Boy  Blue   obeyed), 
"  Under  this  stack  of  hay." 

"  Now,  wait  till  I  call,"  said  Miss  Bo-Peep, 
And  over  the  meadows  she  slipped  away, 
With  never  a  thought  for  cows  or  sheep — 
Alas !  alas !  the  day. 

And  long  and  patiently  waited  he 

For  the  blithesome   call  from  her  rosy  lip. 

He  waited  in  vain — quite  like  you  see, 
The  boy  on  the  burning  ship. 

She  let  down  the  bars,  did  Miss  Bo-Peep — 
Such  trifles  as  bars  she  held  in  scorn — 

And  into  the  meadows  went  the  sheep, 
And  the  cows  went  into  the  corn. 

By  and  by,  when  they  found  Boy  Blue 
In  ilic  merest  doze,  he  took  the  blame. 

It   was  very  fine,  I  think,  don't  you? 
Not   to  mention  Bo-Peep1  s   name. 


192  OUR    TREASURE    CHEST. 

Thus  it  has  hapx^ened  that  all  these   years 

He   has  borne  the  blame   she   ought    to   share. 

Since   I  know  the   truth  of    it,    it  appears 
To  me  to  be  only  fair. 

To  tell  the  story  from  shore  to  shore, 
From  sea  to  sea,  and  from  sun  to  sun, 

Because,  as  I  think  I  said  before, 
I  like  to  see  justice  done. 

And,  whatever  you've  read    or  seen  or  heard, 
Believe  ■  <■     children,   I  tell  the  true 

And  only  genuine  (take  my  word) 
Story  of    Little  Boy  Blue. 


:£.  THE  EXD. 


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